PM to inaugurate PBD 2011

NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the ninth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), India’s annual connect with its global diaspora, to be held here Jan 7-9, 2011, it was announced Wednesday.

President Pratibha Patil will present the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards-2011 to distinguished people of Indian origin/non-resident Indians (PIOs/NRIs) and will deliver the valedictory address Jan 9, the ministry of overseas Indian affairs (MOIA) that is organising the event said.

This flagship event of MOIA will be held in the capital for the sixth time. The event will be in partnership with the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region together with eight north-eastern states and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

“The special feature of PBD-2011 is the participation of Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region and eight North Eastern States as partner. There will be a plenary session for the chief ministers of North Eastern States. This would provide the Diaspora with an opportunity to understand the tremendous potential of this beautiful part of India,” Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi told reporters here.

The ministry underlined that the focus of PBD 2011 will be on “young overseas Indians” so as to connect with and engage the younger generation of the overseas Indians with emerging India.

“In order to engage the youth with India, a plenary session on ‘Engaging with the young overseas Indian’ is being organized,” Ravi said.

The event will seeparallel interactive sessions on topics important to the Diaspora, including an industry round-table: Interaction between diaspora and Indian industry leaders; Information, Communication & Entertainment (ICE) and celebrating the global Indian.

Ravi noted that the consultations at earlier PBDs led to the formulation of the Overseas Citizenship of India scheme, establishment of an overseas Indian facilitation centre, conceptualisation of Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra (PBK), formation of Prime Minister’s global advisory council of people of Indian Origin, setting up of the India development foundation, and the launching of the Global Indian Network of Knowledge (Global-INK).

The ministry is also all set to host its 4th regional PBD in South Africa’s historical Durban city Oct 1-2 coinciding with Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary and to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indians in South Africa.

The first regional PBD was held in Sep 2007 in New York for the Indian diaspora in the US, the second in Singapore in October 2008 for Asia and the third in the Netherlands in September 2009 for Europe.

“PBD conventions provide a platform for exchange of views and networking to overseas Indians on matters of common interest and concern to them. They also help the government of India to better understand and appreciate the expectations of the overseas Indian community from the land of their ancestors and more importantly, acknowledge the important role played by them in India’s efforts to acquire its rightful place in the comity of nations,” Ravi added.