Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the 17th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention in Madhya Pradesh's Indore city. The PM described Pravasi Bhartiyas as India's "brand ambassadors" on foreign soil. He further stressed that they have a significant role to play in the country's journey as it enters the "Amrit kaal" of the next 25 years.

"I consider Pravasi Bharatiyas as brand ambassadors of India on foreign soil. Your role is diverse. You are the brand ambassador for yoga, Ayurveda, cottage industry, handicrafts and also millets," Modi said.

"The GenNext Pravasis are also curious to know about the country of their parents' origin," he said.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-pm-modi-holds-first-telephonic-conversation-with-king-charles-iii-549148">Indian PM Modi holds first telephonic conversation with King Charles III</a>

He also urged Indian universities to document the contributions made by the diaspora in their respective nations for the benefit of students.

PM Modi also lavished praise on Madhya Pradesh and asked the Indian diaspora to visit the several historical and natural sites in the state.

He made a special mention of the Narmada river, and the recently developed Mahakal Lok at the famous Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain.&nbsp;

Praising the host city, Modi said, "Indore is ahead of its time not only in cleanliness but also takes care of its heritage. The delicacies of Indore are mouth-watering and the people who taste them once will never turn to anything else."

President of the Republic of Suriname, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, the special guest of honour at the event, said India has proven to be a reliable partner on regional and global platforms.

"Suriname has sought partnership (with India) in various fields including health, financial sectors and strengthening cultural ties by setting up institutes for Hindi language promotion in the Caribbean country," he said.

Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the chief guest at the event, praised Modi for his efforts during the pandemic.&nbsp;

"When globalisation failed during the pandemic, Modi showed that it exists," he said.

Calling India an important strategic partner, Irfaan Ali recalled how the country helped it with COVID-19 vaccines and medicines in its time of need.&nbsp;

He further said there are massive opportunities for India's private sector in Guyana.

"I visited this country earlier and studied here before becoming the president (of Guyana) and felt the love of Indian people," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the 17th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention in Madhya Pradesh's Indore city. The PM described Pravasi Bhartiyas as India's "brand ambassadors" on foreign soil.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the 17th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention in Madhya Pradesh's Indore city. The PM described Pravasi Bhartiyas as India's "brand ambassadors" on foreign soil. He further stressed that they have a significant role to play in the country's journey as it enters the "Amrit kaal" of the next 25 years. "I consider Pravasi Bharatiyas as brand ambassadors of India on foreign soil. Your role is diverse. You are the brand ambassador for yoga, Ayurveda, cottage industry, handicrafts and also millets," Modi said. "The GenNext Pravasis are also curious to know about the country of their parents' origin," he said. Also Read | Indian PM Modi holds first telephonic conversation with King Charles III He also urged Indian universities to document the contributions made by the diaspora in their respective nations for the benefit of students. PM Modi also lavished praise on Madhya Pradesh and asked the Indian diaspora to visit the several historical and natural sites in the state. He made a special mention of the Narmada river, and the recently developed Mahakal Lok at the famous Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain. Praising the host city, Modi said, "Indore is ahead of its time not only in cleanliness but also takes care of its heritage. The delicacies of Indore are mouth-watering and the people who taste them once will never turn to anything else." President of the Republic of Suriname, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, the special guest of honour at the event, said India has proven to be a reliable partner on regional and global platforms. "Suriname has sought partnership (with India) in various fields including health, financial sectors and strengthening cultural ties by setting up institutes for Hindi language promotion in the Caribbean country," he said. Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the chief guest at the event, praised Modi for his efforts during the pandemic. "When globalisation failed during the pandemic, Modi showed that it exists," he said. Calling India an important strategic partner, Irfaan Ali recalled how the country helped it with COVID-19 vaccines and medicines in its time of need. He further said there are massive opportunities for India's private sector in Guyana. "I visited this country earlier and studied here before becoming the president (of Guyana) and felt the love of Indian people," he added. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

PM Modi inaugurates Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, calls India's diaspora 'brand ambassadors'

The&nbsp;Indian government is in the process to institute national awards for foreigners for work related to India and furthering of Indian culture. The award will be given to those foreigners who have worked in connection to India, or can be described as "Indophiles".

These foreigners won't be PIOs or NRIs. India's "Pravasi Bharatiya Samman" is&nbsp;given to honour exceptional NRIs and PIOs. The awards were first instituted in 2003 and since 2016 the number of awardees has been doubled. The awards are given every two&nbsp;years.&nbsp;

Padma awards have also regularly featured names of NRIs, PIOs, and foreign nationals. The Padma awards are announced every year by the Indian government on Republic Day.&nbsp;In 2021, India announced that it is conferring Padma Vibhushan to former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe.&nbsp;

This year it was announced that Padma Bhushan will be conferred to Microsoft's Satya Narayana Nadella and Google's Sundararajan Pichai.

This year's Padma Shri list included Polish national Maria Christopher Byrski, Ireland's Rutger Kortenhorst, Thailand's Chirapat Prapandavidya for work done in Sanskrit while Russia's Tatiana Lvovna Shaumyan who is the country's leading Indophile.

The Indian government is in the process to institute national awards for foreigners for work related to India and furthering of Indian culture. The award will be given to those foreigners who have worked in connection to India, or can be described as "Indophiles".

The Indian government is in the process to institute national awards for foreigners for work related to India and furthering of Indian culture. The award will be given to those foreigners who have worked in connection to India, or can be described as "Indophiles". These foreigners won't be PIOs or NRIs. India's "Pravasi Bharatiya Samman" is given to honour exceptional NRIs and PIOs. The awards were first instituted in 2003 and since 2016 the number of awardees has been doubled. The awards are given every two years. Padma awards have also regularly featured names of NRIs, PIOs, and foreign nationals. The Padma awards are announced every year by the Indian government on Republic Day. In 2021, India announced that it is conferring Padma Vibhushan to former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe. This year it was announced that Padma Bhushan will be conferred to Microsoft's Satya Narayana Nadella and Google's Sundararajan Pichai. This year's Padma Shri list included Polish national Maria Christopher Byrski, Ireland's Rutger Kortenhorst, Thailand's Chirapat Prapandavidya for work done in Sanskrit while Russia's Tatiana Lvovna Shaumyan who is the country's leading Indophile.

India planning to institute national awards for foreigners

On January 9, India celebrated the 17th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD). No other Prime Minister of India than Narendra Modi has recognised the role of &nbsp;Indian diaspora as a ‘strategic asset’ in the all round development of the our country. Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, pursued a policy of “active dissociation” from the Indian diaspora. He was concerned that connecting with, and advocating for, them would impair the sovereignty of host countries.

For years, we interacted with Indian community only on national days or other important occasions. Problems of diaspora were never given importance. Under the regime of Rajiv Gandhi, there was a boost in diaspora policy. However, the policy of reaching out to the Indian diaspora began in earnest during the tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It was under NDA-I that Pravasi Bharatiya Divas(PBD) was first launched in 2003.&nbsp;

But it's Narendra Modi who has brought the linkage between Indian diasporic community and development of the country. While as Chief Minister of Gujarat, he had organised ‘Vibrant Gujarat’ with an eye of harnessing the potential of Pravasi Bharatiya in the development of Gujarat; as PM since 2014 he has galvanized the role of Pravasi Bharatiya in the economic development of the country.

For PM Modi, Diaspora is an ‘asset’ rather than a ‘liability’ and India’s intellectual power beyond borders is ‘brain gain’ and not ‘brain drain’. Towards this goal he not only took a whirlwind tour of the globe during the first term of his prime ministership to USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Singapore, Israel; meeting, appealing and motivating the Indian community abroad to reconnect with their Indian roots and play a critical role in the development of country. His interactions with Indian community at New York’s Madison Square Garden and Allphones Arena in Sydney, aimed at turning every Indian abroad into an ambassador.

He considered the &nbsp;Indian Diaspora as a valuable asset just like Jewish and Chinese Diaspora. It is no secret that Chinese diaspora had played a seminal role in 1990s in the economic transformation of China by investing in the rural and semi-urban township on the basis of trust, understanding of culture and networking.&nbsp;

The Chinese diaspora further help in globalising the Chinese trade through its global network. PM Modi too wants to transform the Indian diaspora into a 'strategic asset’ and expect from them to play a role of facilitator in the globalising the Indian trade/export through their global network and bring investment across many small cities of the country. It is in this sense that while inaugurating the 16th&nbsp;

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) on 9th January 2021 that PM Modi called for the decisive role of PBD in the building of “Atmanirbhar Bharat”. PBD is celebrated once in every two years to strengthen the engagement of the overseas Indian community with the Government of India and reconnect them with their roots. During these conventions, selected overseas Indians are also honored with the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award to recognize their contributions to various fields both in India and abroad.

Today Indian diaspora with its 18 million number across 136 countries is considered the largest diaspora community in the world, bringing highest amount of remittance i.e. $87 billion in 2021 in the world, of which the largest percentage comes from the Gulf countries. In other words, Indians contribute 13% of global remittances and the remittance sent by Indians back to India amount to approximately 3.2% of the Indian GDP. Similarly, their contribution to the country of residence is also noteworthy. For e.g., the Indian diaspora in UK is almost 1.8% of the total population of UK, but it contributes almost 6% of the total GDP of UK.

It is not without reason that PM Modi clearly recognised and lauded the contribution of PBD during Covid times, which makes India stand firm and tall in the world. Amidst the deepening economic crisis due to COVID-19, the PM Modi successfully launched the world largest vaccination programme in the country and also helped other Asian and African countries .&nbsp;

Indian diaspora has come a long way to play a significant role in keeping India at the centre of global affairs. First, it is well poised &nbsp;to contribute towards global supply chains. Self-reliant India envisions India as a contributor to the world and a part of Covid crisis has shown the perils of being dependent upon foreign sources for raw materials and intermediate products. Thus, the direction of self-reliance is towards creating alternate supply chains.&nbsp;

Second, the outflow of the Indian diaspora has positively transformed the perception of the world towards the India. The dominance of Indians in computer software, particularly in the Silicon Valley, has strengthened the image of India as a technology powerhouse and a source of quality human resources. Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, Indra Nooyi, Vinod Khosla, Deepak Chopra and many others have reached the highest echelons in their respective sectors.

Third, with focus on ‘Make in India’, Indian diaspora can be facilitated to contribute to the Indian development story by investing in the greenfield and brownfield projects, as well as, portfolio investments in India. Similarly, the Indian diaspora is expected to guide the policy-makers in the field of the Artificial Intelligence-driven industry which will create high-value jobs.&nbsp;

In view of the growing role of Indian diaspora in the economic transformation of the country, the Modi government is taking concrete steps to strengthen the role of the members of Indian diaspora.&nbsp;

Thus the government has facilitated the rules and regulations that have significantly improved Indian ranking in ease of doing business from 130 to 66 in 2020.&nbsp;

This creates a favorable environment for businesses to invest in India and also gives an opportunity to the diaspora to confidently create an outreach strategy in their areas of influence.&nbsp;

Similarly, the Modi government has brought the merger of PIO (Persons of Indian Origin) and OCI (Overseas Citizenship of India), which has been a long-standing demand of the Indian community.&nbsp;

Along with that, the Indian government has accorded many advantages to the OCIs by including them in the definition of Indian management control, in the context of sensitive industries. This will create investment opportunities for the diaspora.&nbsp;

Further, Indian government is in the process of launching awareness generation portals like the Global Pravasi Rishta portal, to provide an instrument of connecting with the diaspora. It will be a dynamic communication platform to connect the diaspora with the Ministry of foreign affairs, Indian missions and the Indian diaspora abroad.

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

On January 9, India celebrated the 17th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD). No other Prime Minister of India than Narendra Modi has recognised the role of Indian diaspora as a ‘strategic asset’ in the all round development of the our country.

On January 9, India celebrated the 17th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD). No other Prime Minister of India than Narendra Modi has recognised the role of Indian diaspora as a ‘strategic asset’ in the all round development of the our country. Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, pursued a policy of “active dissociation” from the Indian diaspora. He was concerned that connecting with, and advocating for, them would impair the sovereignty of host countries. For years, we interacted with Indian community only on national days or other important occasions. Problems of diaspora were never given importance. Under the regime of Rajiv Gandhi, there was a boost in diaspora policy. However, the policy of reaching out to the Indian diaspora began in earnest during the tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It was under NDA-I that Pravasi Bharatiya Divas(PBD) was first launched in 2003. But it's Narendra Modi who has brought the linkage between Indian diasporic community and development of the country. While as Chief Minister of Gujarat, he had organised ‘Vibrant Gujarat’ with an eye of harnessing the potential of Pravasi Bharatiya in the development of Gujarat; as PM since 2014 he has galvanized the role of Pravasi Bharatiya in the economic development of the country. For PM Modi, Diaspora is an ‘asset’ rather than a ‘liability’ and India’s intellectual power beyond borders is ‘brain gain’ and not ‘brain drain’. Towards this goal he not only took a whirlwind tour of the globe during the first term of his prime ministership to USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Singapore, Israel; meeting, appealing and motivating the Indian community abroad to reconnect with their Indian roots and play a critical role in the development of country. His interactions with Indian community at New York’s Madison Square Garden and Allphones Arena in Sydney, aimed at turning every Indian abroad into an ambassador. He considered the Indian Diaspora as a valuable asset just like Jewish and Chinese Diaspora. It is no secret that Chinese diaspora had played a seminal role in 1990s in the economic transformation of China by investing in the rural and semi-urban township on the basis of trust, understanding of culture and networking. The Chinese diaspora further help in globalising the Chinese trade through its global network. PM Modi too wants to transform the Indian diaspora into a 'strategic asset’ and expect from them to play a role of facilitator in the globalising the Indian trade/export through their global network and bring investment across many small cities of the country. It is in this sense that while inaugurating the 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) on 9th January 2021 that PM Modi called for the decisive role of PBD in the building of “Atmanirbhar Bharat”. PBD is celebrated once in every two years to strengthen the engagement of the overseas Indian community with the Government of India and reconnect them with their roots. During these conventions, selected overseas Indians are also honored with the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award to recognize their contributions to various fields both in India and abroad. Today Indian diaspora with its 18 million number across 136 countries is considered the largest diaspora community in the world, bringing highest amount of remittance i.e. $87 billion in 2021 in the world, of which the largest percentage comes from the Gulf countries. In other words, Indians contribute 13% of global remittances and the remittance sent by Indians back to India amount to approximately 3.2% of the Indian GDP. Similarly, their contribution to the country of residence is also noteworthy. For e.g., the Indian diaspora in UK is almost 1.8% of the total population of UK, but it contributes almost 6% of the total GDP of UK. It is not without reason that PM Modi clearly recognised and lauded the contribution of PBD during Covid times, which makes India stand firm and tall in the world. Amidst the deepening economic crisis due to COVID-19, the PM Modi successfully launched the world largest vaccination programme in the country and also helped other Asian and African countries . Indian diaspora has come a long way to play a significant role in keeping India at the centre of global affairs. First, it is well poised to contribute towards global supply chains. Self-reliant India envisions India as a contributor to the world and a part of Covid crisis has shown the perils of being dependent upon foreign sources for raw materials and intermediate products. Thus, the direction of self-reliance is towards creating alternate supply chains. Second, the outflow of the Indian diaspora has positively transformed the perception of the world towards the India. The dominance of Indians in computer software, particularly in the Silicon Valley, has strengthened the image of India as a technology powerhouse and a source of quality human resources. Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, Indra Nooyi, Vinod Khosla, Deepak Chopra and many others have reached the highest echelons in their respective sectors. Third, with focus on ‘Make in India’, Indian diaspora can be facilitated to contribute to the Indian development story by investing in the greenfield and brownfield projects, as well as, portfolio investments in India. Similarly, the Indian diaspora is expected to guide the policy-makers in the field of the Artificial Intelligence-driven industry which will create high-value jobs. In view of the growing role of Indian diaspora in the economic transformation of the country, the Modi government is taking concrete steps to strengthen the role of the members of Indian diaspora. Thus the government has facilitated the rules and regulations that have significantly improved Indian ranking in ease of doing business from 130 to 66 in 2020. This creates a favorable environment for businesses to invest in India and also gives an opportunity to the diaspora to confidently create an outreach strategy in their areas of influence. Similarly, the Modi government has brought the merger of PIO (Persons of Indian Origin) and OCI (Overseas Citizenship of India), which has been a long-standing demand of the Indian community. Along with that, the Indian government has accorded many advantages to the OCIs by including them in the definition of Indian management control, in the context of sensitive industries. This will create investment opportunities for the diaspora. Further, Indian government is in the process of launching awareness generation portals like the Global Pravasi Rishta portal, to provide an instrument of connecting with the diaspora. It will be a dynamic communication platform to connect the diaspora with the Ministry of foreign affairs, Indian missions and the Indian diaspora abroad. (Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

Indian diaspora and economic development of India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas on Tuesday in this temple town and hold talks with his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth after the inaugural session.

External Affairs Minister Sushma <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/indians-leading-the-world-today-sushma-swaraj-on-pravasi-bharatiya-divas-191776">Swaraj inaugurated the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas</a> on Monday, along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and said the Indian diaspora has dramatically changed the world's perception of Indians and India.

Mauritian Premier Jugnauth arrived here in the afternoon and was received by Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh. Later, Swaraj called on the Mauritian PM and exchanged views on a range of issues, including strengthening bilateral cooperation.

For the first time, the three-day-long convention is being organised from January 21 to 23 instead of January 9 to allow participants to visit the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad and attend the Republic Day parade here.

The theme of this year's convention is 'role of the Indian diaspora in building new India', a statement from the prime minister's office said. 
Varanasi in Modi's parliamentary constituency.

Jugnauth will be the chief guest of the convention, while Himanshu Gulati, member of the Parliament of Norway, will be the special guest. Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, member of Parliament of New Zealand, will be the guest of honour.

President Ram Nath Kovind will address the concluding function on January 23.

Over 4,000 NRI delegates from about 85 countries are attending the event and many of them will be staying in the tent city, built specially for them.?

After Pravasi Divas, the guests will be taken for a visit to the Kumbh Mela on January 24 where also a tent city has been set up.

A cultural village has been developed in Prayagraj, showing the history from the Indus Valley Civilisation. The 'pravasis' will be taken to New Delhi on the night of January 24 and will have a "Delhi darshan" the next day.

They will also witness the Republic Day Parade on January 26.

Uttar Pradesh is the partner state for the event and a novel feature this year is the concept of 'Varanasi hospitality' under which local people are hosting the Indians living abroad at their homes as "family guests".

The First Plenary Session on 'Engagement with younger members of Indian Diaspora', co-chaired by Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Rajyavardhan Rathore and Singh, was held on Monday.?

Uttar Pradesh Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas was also held on Monday where renowned NRIs with family roots in the state took part.

The decision to celebrate Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was taken by the late prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the first event was celebrated on January 9, 2003, here.

January 9 was chosen as the day to celebrate Pravasi Bharatiya Divas as it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi had returned to India from South Africa.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is now celebrated once every two years and provides a platform to the overseas Indian community to engage with the government and reconnect with their roots, the statement said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas on Tuesday in this temple town and hold talks with his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth after the inaugural session.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas on Tuesday in this temple town and hold talks with his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth after the inaugural session. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj inaugurated the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas on Monday, along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and said the Indian diaspora has dramatically changed the world's perception of Indians and India. Mauritian Premier Jugnauth arrived here in the afternoon and was received by Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh. Later, Swaraj called on the Mauritian PM and exchanged views on a range of issues, including strengthening bilateral cooperation. For the first time, the three-day-long convention is being organised from January 21 to 23 instead of January 9 to allow participants to visit the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad and attend the Republic Day parade here. The theme of this year's convention is 'role of the Indian diaspora in building new India', a statement from the prime minister's office said. Varanasi in Modi's parliamentary constituency. Jugnauth will be the chief guest of the convention, while Himanshu Gulati, member of the Parliament of Norway, will be the special guest. Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, member of Parliament of New Zealand, will be the guest of honour. President Ram Nath Kovind will address the concluding function on January 23. Over 4,000 NRI delegates from about 85 countries are attending the event and many of them will be staying in the tent city, built specially for them.? After Pravasi Divas, the guests will be taken for a visit to the Kumbh Mela on January 24 where also a tent city has been set up. A cultural village has been developed in Prayagraj, showing the history from the Indus Valley Civilisation. The 'pravasis' will be taken to New Delhi on the night of January 24 and will have a "Delhi darshan" the next day. They will also witness the Republic Day Parade on January 26. Uttar Pradesh is the partner state for the event and a novel feature this year is the concept of 'Varanasi hospitality' under which local people are hosting the Indians living abroad at their homes as "family guests". The First Plenary Session on 'Engagement with younger members of Indian Diaspora', co-chaired by Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Rajyavardhan Rathore and Singh, was held on Monday.? Uttar Pradesh Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas was also held on Monday where renowned NRIs with family roots in the state took part. The decision to celebrate Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was taken by the late prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the first event was celebrated on January 9, 2003, here. January 9 was chosen as the day to celebrate Pravasi Bharatiya Divas as it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi had returned to India from South Africa. The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is now celebrated once every two years and provides a platform to the overseas Indian community to engage with the government and reconnect with their roots, the statement said.

PM Modi to inaugurate 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas; to hold talks with Mauritian PM 

External Affair Minister Sushma Swaraj along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath opened the Youth Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas (PBD) on Monday.&nbsp;

Member of Parliament from Norway Himanshu Gulati and Member of Parliament from New Zealand Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi were the chief guests at the Youth PBD in Varanasi.

Speaking at the Youth Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas, EAM Sushma lauded the role of the Indian diaspora and said, "Whether it is Sundar Pichai of Google, Satya Nadella of Microsoft, Ajay Banga of Mastercard, or Geeta Gopinath of IMF – it is indisputable that Indians are leading the world today. Our diaspora has dramatically changed the world’s perception of Indians, and of India as well."

She invited the young member of the diaspora to contribute to India's development and saying "I would like you to contribute to the Higher Education and Research and Development sectors with your technical expertise and knowledge sharing, and help India harness its huge demographic dividend."

Adding, " We not only want to connect our youth diaspora to their ancestral land of India, and to teach them to take pride in their history and civilizational heritage but most importantly, we also want to engage you to participate in transforming India."

India has one of the largest diasporas in the world at almost 31 million which is spread throughout the world.

She said the Indian government is just one click away if any member of Indian overseas community in distress and explained, "we have pioneered the use of digital platforms and social media to actively enhance our outreach to the Indian Diaspora. Today we are present on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, Google+, Soundcloud and Flick as well as LinkedIn" Adding further, "Our embassies have been proactive on the digital media, providing consular help and guidance. Whether it is Facebook or Twitter, help is just a message away from any Indian National in distress."

She also addressed the concerns of Indian students studying abroad saying to address their grievances Ministry of external affairs has constituted an Expert Group comprising Ambassadors of Foreign Missions in Delhi, where the majority of Indian students are pursuing higher education. In 2018 two meetings were held and the recommendations of the meetings are currently being considered. &nbsp;Presently, about 7.5 lakh Indian students are pursuing higher education in research and innovation abroad. &nbsp;

The 3-day event will be formally opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday with Mauritius prime minister Pravind Jugnauth the chief guest.

External Affair Minister Sushma Swaraj along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath opened the Youth Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas (PBD) on Monday. Member of Parliament from Norway Himanshu Gulati and Member of Parliament from New Zealand Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi were the chief guests at the Youth PBD in Varanasi.

External Affair Minister Sushma Swaraj along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath opened the Youth Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas (PBD) on Monday. Member of Parliament from Norway Himanshu Gulati and Member of Parliament from New Zealand Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi were the chief guests at the Youth PBD in Varanasi. Speaking at the Youth Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas, EAM Sushma lauded the role of the Indian diaspora and said, "Whether it is Sundar Pichai of Google, Satya Nadella of Microsoft, Ajay Banga of Mastercard, or Geeta Gopinath of IMF – it is indisputable that Indians are leading the world today. Our diaspora has dramatically changed the world’s perception of Indians, and of India as well." She invited the young member of the diaspora to contribute to India's development and saying "I would like you to contribute to the Higher Education and Research and Development sectors with your technical expertise and knowledge sharing, and help India harness its huge demographic dividend." Adding, " We not only want to connect our youth diaspora to their ancestral land of India, and to teach them to take pride in their history and civilizational heritage but most importantly, we also want to engage you to participate in transforming India." India has one of the largest diasporas in the world at almost 31 million which is spread throughout the world. She said the Indian government is just one click away if any member of Indian overseas community in distress and explained, "we have pioneered the use of digital platforms and social media to actively enhance our outreach to the Indian Diaspora. Today we are present on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, Google+, Soundcloud and Flick as well as LinkedIn" Adding further, "Our embassies have been proactive on the digital media, providing consular help and guidance. Whether it is Facebook or Twitter, help is just a message away from any Indian National in distress." She also addressed the concerns of Indian students studying abroad saying to address their grievances Ministry of external affairs has constituted an Expert Group comprising Ambassadors of Foreign Missions in Delhi, where the majority of Indian students are pursuing higher education. In 2018 two meetings were held and the recommendations of the meetings are currently being considered. Presently, about 7.5 lakh Indian students are pursuing higher education in research and innovation abroad. The 3-day event will be formally opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday with Mauritius prime minister Pravind Jugnauth the chief guest.

Indians leading the world today: Sushma Swaraj on Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

The fifteenth Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas will begin on Monday. The three-day event from January 21 to 23 will take place in Varanasi with Prime minister Narendra Modi formally inaugurating the event on Tuesday and President Ram Nath Kovind speaking at the closing ceremony on Wednesday. Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, who is on a week-long visit to India, will be the chief guest.

"On the 22nd evening, there will be a program on Ganga by Hema Malini," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said ahead of the event.&nbsp;

The attendees will be taken to Prayagraj for the Kumbh Mela on January 24, on the 25th they will be brought to Delhi for sightseeing, and on the 26th they will watch the Republic Day parade in the capital.&nbsp;

The Uttar Pradesh government has made provisions for the stay of the attendees — they will be put up at people's homes in Varanasi and at a tent city in Prayagraj.&nbsp;

"Under Varanasi Aatithya and to give the diaspora members the feel of Indian hospitality, families in Varanasi have opened their doors. PM wanted this and to facilitate this, people have registered and we have selected families where NRIs can stay," Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said.&nbsp;

A Youth PBD will take place on the first day of the gala and at which the chief guests will be Himanshu Gulati, member of parliament from Norway, and Kamaljeet Bakshi, member of parliament from New Zealand. Thirty people will be honoured by the President with Pravasi Samman awards on the last day.

The decision to hold a Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas was first taken by former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the first PBD took place under his prime ministership from January 9 to 11, &nbsp;2003. To honour Vajpayee, the auditorium in which PBD 2019 will take place has been named after him. An exhibition is also being organised to remember him.

Asked how the PBD will increase diplomatic outreach, Minister of State for External Affairs General VK Singh — he was speaking at a curtain-raiser press conference, said, "The amount of money that our diaspora members send to India, which is not visible to everybody, the amount of remittances that we get back to India, that is not visible to everybody but their effect is not obviously visible to everybody. Whatever we spend on we do it after much deliberations and what I believe that the message that we put across through this and the way we have structured the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas, it definitely improves our outreach."

The chief ministers of Haryana and Uttarakhand will be participating in the PBD.

This is the third PBD being organised by the Modi government. The first was held in January 2015 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, the second in January 2017 in Bengaluru, Karnataka. In 2015, the Modi government turned the PBD into a biennial event.

The PBD begins every year on January 9 to mark Mahatma Gandhi's arrival back in India from South Africa in 1915. It was moved back to the January 21 this year to align it with the Kumbh Mela and Republic Day so that the diaspora could experience India's culture at Prayagraj and its grandeur at Rajpath.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The fifteenth Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas will begin on Monday. The three-day event from January 21 to 23 will take place in Varanasi with Prime minister Narendra Modi formally inaugurating the event on Tuesday and President Ram Nath Kovind speaking at the closing ceremony on Wednesday.

The fifteenth Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas will begin on Monday. The three-day event from January 21 to 23 will take place in Varanasi with Prime minister Narendra Modi formally inaugurating the event on Tuesday and President Ram Nath Kovind speaking at the closing ceremony on Wednesday. Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, who is on a week-long visit to India, will be the chief guest. "On the 22nd evening, there will be a program on Ganga by Hema Malini," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said ahead of the event. The attendees will be taken to Prayagraj for the Kumbh Mela on January 24, on the 25th they will be brought to Delhi for sightseeing, and on the 26th they will watch the Republic Day parade in the capital. The Uttar Pradesh government has made provisions for the stay of the attendees — they will be put up at people's homes in Varanasi and at a tent city in Prayagraj. "Under Varanasi Aatithya and to give the diaspora members the feel of Indian hospitality, families in Varanasi have opened their doors. PM wanted this and to facilitate this, people have registered and we have selected families where NRIs can stay," Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said. A Youth PBD will take place on the first day of the gala and at which the chief guests will be Himanshu Gulati, member of parliament from Norway, and Kamaljeet Bakshi, member of parliament from New Zealand. Thirty people will be honoured by the President with Pravasi Samman awards on the last day. The decision to hold a Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas was first taken by former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the first PBD took place under his prime ministership from January 9 to 11, 2003. To honour Vajpayee, the auditorium in which PBD 2019 will take place has been named after him. An exhibition is also being organised to remember him. Asked how the PBD will increase diplomatic outreach, Minister of State for External Affairs General VK Singh — he was speaking at a curtain-raiser press conference, said, "The amount of money that our diaspora members send to India, which is not visible to everybody, the amount of remittances that we get back to India, that is not visible to everybody but their effect is not obviously visible to everybody. Whatever we spend on we do it after much deliberations and what I believe that the message that we put across through this and the way we have structured the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas, it definitely improves our outreach." The chief ministers of Haryana and Uttarakhand will be participating in the PBD. This is the third PBD being organised by the Modi government. The first was held in January 2015 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, the second in January 2017 in Bengaluru, Karnataka. In 2015, the Modi government turned the PBD into a biennial event. The PBD begins every year on January 9 to mark Mahatma Gandhi's arrival back in India from South Africa in 1915. It was moved back to the January 21 this year to align it with the Kumbh Mela and Republic Day so that the diaspora could experience India's culture at Prayagraj and its grandeur at Rajpath.

Fifteenth Pravasi Bhartiya Divas to begin Monday in Varanasi, Mauritian PM Pravind Jugnauth will be chief guest

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will now be celebrated every alternate year and a series of sessions will be held before the event to increase the understanding and bring in an alignment in the interests of the Indians living within and outside the country.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announced this on Saturday at a discussion held in connection with the now biennial event, which was annual till now.

There will be some theme-based sessions conducted in which the Ministry of External Affairs will invite about 12 people including both the nationals and the non-resident Indians. An elaborate discussion will be conducted with them, said Sushma Swaraj, who was accompanied by Ministers of State for External Affairs MJ&nbspAkbar and VK&nbspSingh.

Further, some of the themes for the upcoming sessions are being decided to be around 'role of diaspora in capacity-building and artificial intelligence' and 'how diaspora gives back to India and their role with respect to the challenges in India'.

Ms Swaraj also said they would try to understand their experience during their stay here, quality of life abroad and reasons behind their decision to move outside India.

Until now, 10 sessions have been conducted in a build-up to next year's programme, which will be held in Varanasi in January.

At the panel discussion 'Indian Community Organisations Working for Indian Nationals in Distressed Situation', Swaraj also highlighted her efforts to ensure relief to Indians who are living in distress in any corner of the world.

"To help those Indians who are stuck at various corners of the world has become my life's aim," she said.

She also recalled the 'Raahat Operation', wherein 5000 people, including over 1,000 foreigners were evacuated from Yemen in 2015.

Recalling the genesis of the programme for the NRIs, she said under the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Bhartiya Janata Party in 2003 had thought to dedicate one day in a year to the Indians residing abroad.

Swaraj said Mahatma Gandhi was the most famous NRI of India. Thus, the day he returned to the country is regarded as the Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas which is January 9, the minister said.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will now be celebrated every alternate year and a series of sessions will be held before the event to increase the understanding and bring in an alignment in the interests of the Indians living within and outside the country. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announced this on Saturday at a discussion held in connection with the now biennial event, which was annual till now. There will be some theme-based sessions conducted in which the Ministry of External Affairs will invite about 12 people including both the nationals and the non-resident Indians. An elaborate discussion will be conducted with them, said Sushma Swaraj, who was accompanied by Ministers of State for External Affairs MJ&nbspAkbar and VK&nbspSingh. Further, some of the themes for the upcoming sessions are being decided to be around 'role of diaspora in capacity-building and artificial intelligence' and 'how diaspora gives back to India and their role with respect to the challenges in India'. Ms Swaraj also said they would try to understand their experience during their stay here, quality of life abroad and reasons behind their decision to move outside India. Until now, 10 sessions have been conducted in a build-up to next year's programme, which will be held in Varanasi in January. At the panel discussion 'Indian Community Organisations Working for Indian Nationals in Distressed Situation', Swaraj also highlighted her efforts to ensure relief to Indians who are living in distress in any corner of the world. "To help those Indians who are stuck at various corners of the world has become my life's aim," she said. She also recalled the 'Raahat Operation', wherein 5000 people, including over 1,000 foreigners were evacuated from Yemen in 2015. Recalling the genesis of the programme for the NRIs, she said under the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Bhartiya Janata Party in 2003 had thought to dedicate one day in a year to the Indians residing abroad. Swaraj said Mahatma Gandhi was the most famous NRI of India. Thus, the day he returned to the country is regarded as the Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas which is January 9, the minister said.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to be celebrated every alternate year: Sushma Swaraj

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the first Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) Parliamentary Conference today at the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in Delhi.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated on January 9 to acknowledge the contribution made by the Indian overseas community&nbsp;toward the development of the country.&nbsp;

The event was first organised in the year 2003 by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

Some of the previous editions of the event were hosted in cities like Gandhinagar, Bengaluru and Kochi among others.&nbsp;

Today&#39;s conference, the first of its kind, will be attended by close to 124 Members of Parliament and 17 mayors from 23 countries.

The event is scheduled to commence at 10 am with Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj&#39;s speech; PM Modi will be the keynote speaker.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) will also hold a logo-design competition to zero down on a logo that would best reflect the spirit of the conference.&nbsp;

Today's conference, the first of its kind, will be attended by close to 124 Members of Parliament

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the first Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) Parliamentary Conference today at the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in Delhi. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated on January 9 to acknowledge the contribution made by the Indian overseas community toward the development of the country. The event was first organised in the year 2003 by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Some of the previous editions of the event were hosted in cities like Gandhinagar, Bengaluru and Kochi among others. Today's conference, the first of its kind, will be attended by close to 124 Members of Parliament and 17 mayors from 23 countries. The event is scheduled to commence at 10 am with Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj's speech; PM Modi will be the keynote speaker. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) will also hold a logo-design competition to zero down on a logo that would best reflect the spirit of the conference.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: PM Modi to inaugurate first PIO Parliamentary Conference today

India has <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/will-india-pakistan-conflict-again-call-off-saarc-summit-20557">decided not to send invitations</a> for Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to any SAARC member except Sri Lanka, external affairs ministry announced today.

India&#39;s move comes after minister of state for external affairs MJ Akbar had said in Parliament today that SAARC had failed to achieve its objective due to &ldquo;obstructionist approach&rdquo; by Pakistan.

&ldquo;SAARC has been unable to achieve its potential as key initiatives, including in the important area of connectivity, are held back due to lack of response and/or obstructionist approach of Pakistan,&rdquo; Akbar said in Rajya Sabha while replying to a question.

&quot;Several SAARC member states expressed their inability to participate in the 19th SAARC summit that was scheduled to be held in November 2016 in Pakistan due to concerns arising from increasing cross-border terrorist attacks in the region and growing interference in the internal affairs of member states by that country,&rdquo; Akbar said.&nbsp;

The seven-member SAARC group increased to eight after the inclusion of Afghanistan in 2007.

The 19th SAARC&nbsp;summit to be held in Islamabad faced a setback in 2016 after India pulled out&nbsp;citing an increase in cross-border terrorist attacks.

The 19th Saarc summit to be held in Islamabad faced a setback in 2015 after India pulled out?citing an increase in cross-border terrorist attacks.

India has decided not to send invitations for Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to any SAARC member except Sri Lanka, external affairs ministry announced today. India's move comes after minister of state for external affairs MJ Akbar had said in Parliament today that SAARC had failed to achieve its objective due to “obstructionist approach” by Pakistan. “SAARC has been unable to achieve its potential as key initiatives, including in the important area of connectivity, are held back due to lack of response and/or obstructionist approach of Pakistan,” Akbar said in Rajya Sabha while replying to a question. "Several SAARC member states expressed their inability to participate in the 19th SAARC summit that was scheduled to be held in November 2016 in Pakistan due to concerns arising from increasing cross-border terrorist attacks in the region and growing interference in the internal affairs of member states by that country,” Akbar said. The seven-member SAARC group increased to eight after the inclusion of Afghanistan in 2007. The 19th SAARC summit to be held in Islamabad faced a setback in 2016 after India pulled out citing an increase in cross-border terrorist attacks.

Pak effect: Except Sri Lanka, India refuses to invite any SAARC member for Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

India&#39;s Prime Minister Narendra Modi today emphasised the role of the Indian diaspora in the development of the country and thanked them for supporting the Indian government in its steps against corruption and black money.

PM Modi, who was speaking at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, lauded&nbsp;overseas Indians for their role in the country&#39;s development. He&nbsp;said they had made an &quot;invaluable contribution&quot; to the Indian economy by investing over 69 billion US dollars by way of remittances.

&quot;We welcome all your efforts that seek to strengthen India&#39;s partnership with the overseas Indian community,&quot; he said.

&quot;For me, FDI has two definitions &mdash; one is &#39;Foreign Direct Investment&#39; and the other is &#39;First Develop India&#39;,&quot; the prime minister added. &quot;I can say with full confidence that 21st century belongs to India.&quot;

Modi also said engagement with overseas Indian community was a key area of priority for the government. &quot;We want to change brain drain to brain gain,&quot; the PM said. He said the government will soon launch a skill development programme, &quot;Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojna,&quot; for the Indian youth seeking employment abroad.

The prime minister also welcomed efforts of the Indian diaspora to strengthen the country&#39;s partnership with the overseas Indian community.&quot;We don&#39;t see the colour of the passports, but the relations written by blood which matter the most.&quot;&nbsp;

Modi said the Indian diaspora represented the best of Indian culture, ethos and values.

&quot;The true identity of this event is you, the overseas Indians. It is a matter of pride for us that you all are here to attend this. There are over 30 million overseas Indians living abroad. They are not just respected for their numbers, but for the contributions they make,&quot; he said.

&quot;They are role models for immigrants from other backgrounds and countries. They take our values and culture wherever they go. The Indian diaspora have contributed their best towards progress in that country,&quot; he added.

PM Modi said those terming the government&#39;s demonetisation move as anti-people&#39; were the &quot;political worshippers&quot; of graft and black money which were making the economy, polity and society hollow.

&quot;Friends you know we have undertaken a big responsibilty in fighting black money and corruption... Black money and corruption have gradually made our polity, economy, society and the country hollow.

&quot;It is unfortunate that there are some &quot;political worshippers&quot;&nbsp;(rajnaitik pujari) of black money who term our actions against it as anti-people,&quot; Modi said at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, an annual event to mark the contribution of the overseas Indians.

&quot;It is very saddening to see some black money supporters maligning the moves against corruption,&quot; he added.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas provides a platform to overseas Indians to engage with the government on issues of concern to the diaspora and to explore opportunities for investment in India. The event also provides an opportunity to overseas Indians to network with other overseas Indians residing in various parts of the world.

Modi also encouraged Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) to convert their PIO Cards into OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) cards.&quot;We have extended the deadline for PIO card conversions to OCI from 31 December 2016, until June 30, 2017 without any penalty,&quot; PM Modi said.&nbsp;

He also said that, starting with Mauritius, the government was working to put in place procedures so that descendants of various Indian communities could become eligible for OCI cards, by addressing the difficulties of PIOs in Fiji, Reunion Islands, Suriname, Guyana and other Caribbean States.

Noting that the Indian diaspora represented the best of Indian culture, ethos and values and was respected for its contributions, Modi said the welfare and safety of all Indians abroad was his government&#39;s &quot;top priority&quot;.

&quot;The security of Indian nationals abroad is of utmost importance to us...Security of all Indians abroad is top priority,&quot; he said.

More than 6,000 delegates from across the world registered for the event at India&#39;s IT capital.&nbsp;

The convention is being held biennially for the first time instead of earlier annual versions.&nbsp;

President Pranab Mukherjee will confer Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards on January 9, the concluding day.

Vice-President of Suriname Michael Ashwin Satyandre Adhin was the special guest at the Youth PBD yesterday, in which he highlighted India&#39;s potential to be a &quot;Vishwa Guru&quot; (world leader) once again. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Modi, who was speaking at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, said overseas Indians remitted $69 bn annually to the Indian economy

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi today emphasised the role of the Indian diaspora in the development of the country and thanked them for supporting the Indian government in its steps against corruption and black money. PM Modi, who was speaking at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, lauded overseas Indians for their role in the country's development. He said they had made an "invaluable contribution" to the Indian economy by investing over 69 billion US dollars by way of remittances. "We welcome all your efforts that seek to strengthen India's partnership with the overseas Indian community," he said. "For me, FDI has two definitions — one is 'Foreign Direct Investment' and the other is 'First Develop India'," the prime minister added. "I can say with full confidence that 21st century belongs to India." Modi also said engagement with overseas Indian community was a key area of priority for the government. "We want to change brain drain to brain gain," the PM said. He said the government will soon launch a skill development programme, "Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojna," for the Indian youth seeking employment abroad. The prime minister also welcomed efforts of the Indian diaspora to strengthen the country's partnership with the overseas Indian community."We don't see the colour of the passports, but the relations written by blood which matter the most." Modi said the Indian diaspora represented the best of Indian culture, ethos and values. "The true identity of this event is you, the overseas Indians. It is a matter of pride for us that you all are here to attend this. There are over 30 million overseas Indians living abroad. They are not just respected for their numbers, but for the contributions they make," he said. "They are role models for immigrants from other backgrounds and countries. They take our values and culture wherever they go. The Indian diaspora have contributed their best towards progress in that country," he added. PM Modi said those terming the government's demonetisation move as anti-people' were the "political worshippers" of graft and black money which were making the economy, polity and society hollow. "Friends you know we have undertaken a big responsibilty in fighting black money and corruption... Black money and corruption have gradually made our polity, economy, society and the country hollow. "It is unfortunate that there are some "political worshippers" (rajnaitik pujari) of black money who term our actions against it as anti-people," Modi said at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, an annual event to mark the contribution of the overseas Indians. "It is very saddening to see some black money supporters maligning the moves against corruption," he added. The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas provides a platform to overseas Indians to engage with the government on issues of concern to the diaspora and to explore opportunities for investment in India. The event also provides an opportunity to overseas Indians to network with other overseas Indians residing in various parts of the world. Modi also encouraged Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) to convert their PIO Cards into OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) cards."We have extended the deadline for PIO card conversions to OCI from 31 December 2016, until June 30, 2017 without any penalty," PM Modi said. He also said that, starting with Mauritius, the government was working to put in place procedures so that descendants of various Indian communities could become eligible for OCI cards, by addressing the difficulties of PIOs in Fiji, Reunion Islands, Suriname, Guyana and other Caribbean States. Noting that the Indian diaspora represented the best of Indian culture, ethos and values and was respected for its contributions, Modi said the welfare and safety of all Indians abroad was his government's "top priority". "The security of Indian nationals abroad is of utmost importance to us...Security of all Indians abroad is top priority," he said. More than 6,000 delegates from across the world registered for the event at India's IT capital. The convention is being held biennially for the first time instead of earlier annual versions. President Pranab Mukherjee will confer Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards on January 9, the concluding day. Vice-President of Suriname Michael Ashwin Satyandre Adhin was the special guest at the Youth PBD yesterday, in which he highlighted India's potential to be a "Vishwa Guru" (world leader) once again. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Overseas Indians respected for contributions they make: PM Modi to Indian diaspora

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