Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2023: The 17th edition of the 'Pravasi Bharatiya Divas' convention will be held in Madhya Pradesh's Indore city from Sunday (January 8) under the theme 'Diaspora: Reliable partners for India's progress in Amrit Kaal', an official said.
More than 3,500 diaspora members from 70 countries will take part in the three-day convention, which is being organised in physical mode for the first time since 2019, he said.
The 16th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) convention was held in virtual mode in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated on January 9 to mark the arrival of Mahatma Gandhi in Mumbai from South Africa on that day in 1915.
Since 2015, the convention is being organised every two years to mark the contribution of overseas Indian community to the development of the nation. The Centre is organising the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention in partnership with the Madhya Pradesh government.
On Sunday, the inauguration of the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be held in partnership with the Ministry of Youth affairs and Sports. Australia's Member of Parliament Zaneta Mascarenhas will be the guest of honour on the occasion, officials said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the PBD convention on Monday (January 9). Cooperative Republic of Guyana President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali will be the chief guest and Republic of Suriname President Chandrikapersad Santokhi will be the special guest of honour, they said.
A commemorative postal stamp ‘Surakshit Jaayen, Prashikshit Jaayen’ will be released to underline the importance of safe, legal, orderly and skilled migration. The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the first-ever digital PBD exhibition on the theme "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav- Contribution of Diaspora in Indian Freedom Struggle” to highlight the contribution of the diaspora freedom fighters in India’s Independence, an official said.
In view of India’s ongoing Presidency of the G20, a special town hall will also be organised on Monday. The G20, or Group of 20, is an intergovernmental forum of the world's major developed and developing economies. It comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US, and the European Union (EU).
On Tuesday (January 10), President Droupadi Murmu will confer the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2023 and preside over the valedictory session. The PBD convention will have five thematic plenary sessions. Participants who started arriving here on Saturday said they were overwhelmed by the warm welcome accorded to them.
Raising the slogan "Bharat Mata Ki Jai", Mukesh Gupta, who was among the guests from the United Arab Emirates, said around 600 Indian diaspora members from the Gulf country will attend the convention.
"We immediately felt at home with the welcome we received. We are very excited about the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention," Gupta said.
Gurmeet Sachu, who reached here from Mauritius, got emotional on arrival and said, "I never thought I would get such a warm welcome."
PM Modi to release postal stamp on Jan 9:Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release a postal stamp dedicated to safe and legal migration next week on the margins of the 17th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas, a flagship event that provides an important platform to connect with the overseas Indians. "A Commemorative Postal Stamp 'Surakshit Jaayen, Prashikshit Jaayen' will be released to underline the importance of safe, legal, orderly and skilled migration," Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.
This is part of the 'Surakshit Jayen Prashikshit Jayen- Go Safe, Go Trained' campaign launched by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The campaign aims to raise public awareness about the importance of using safe and legal channels while traveling for overseas employment so that well-informed migrants are able to seamlessly integrate and have a safe and productive stay abroad. To give further impetus to this unique campaign, PM Modi is releasing a postal stamp on January 9, on the sidelines of the 17th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas.
With the advent of the eMigrate system in 2015 and keeping in view the welfare of the emigrant workers, ECR (Emigration Clearance Required) emigrants are advised to go for overseas employment only by legal means i.e. through the eMigrate portal only. Being an emigrant-centric project, the eMigrate project assists mainly workers going to ECR countries.
The project was conceptualized to address issues faced by migrant workers by making the emigration process online and bringing all the stakeholders including the Foreign Employers on one common platform.The portal has more than 200,000 foreign employers and more than 2500 registered recruitment agents.
The portal also contains a list of registered and unregistered recruitment agencies. The Ministry has also been coordinating with a number of State governments and relevant stakeholders to disseminate information on the benefits of safe and legal channels and overseas employment opportunities. The Indian Missions abroad also play a crucial role in proactively sensitizing Indian job seekers through advisories about fake job offers by fraudulent and illegal channels.
(With agencies inputs)
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