AMN
The 14th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD 2017) convention begun in Bengaluru today. The three-day event began with the Youth PBD, the theme of which is ‘Role of Diaspora Youth in the Transformation of India’.
Vice President of Suriname Michael Ashwin Adhin delivered a keynote address in the inaugural session. In his address, Mr Ashwin said, India should be stronger and a superpower as its spiritual and cultural inheritance gives it a unique status.
He appealed diaspora youth to focus on their entrepreneurial drive to minimize monopolies existing at various levels. Minister of State for External Affairs General VK Singh and Sports Vijay Goel also addressed the session.
Three plenary sessions are scheduled to be held in Youth PBD. First will be on reaching out to Indian Students abroad, NRIs and overseas Indian Community Students in India. Second will be on Start-ups and Innovations and 3rd on Start-up ecosystem in Karnataka.
The main convention will be inaugurated tomorrow by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Guest of the event, Prime Minister of Portugal Dr Antonio Costa.
President Pranab Mukherjee will confer Pravasi Bhartiya Samman on Monday. Our correspondent reports that the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention is a very important platform for engagement of the Central and state governments with the Overseas Indian Community.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas has been held traditionally on 9th January every year to commemorate the return of Mahatma Gandhi as a Pravasi from South Africa to India.