MELBOURNE, 9 January 2023: The inaugural session of the of the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2023, was today live streamed at the Melbourne Indian Consulate. Members of the Diaspora were present in large number to witness the event which kicked off with the welcome remarks by Dr, S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs and followed by an address by H.E. Mr. Chandrikapersad Santokhi, President of the Republic of Surinam and Dr. Mohammed Irfaan Ali, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. Later the Indian PM gave the keynote address at the session. (See & hear all speeches in the video below)
This was followed by release of commemorative postal stamp – ‘Surakshit Jaayen, Prakshit Jaayen’ by the foreign guests and the Indian PM Narendra Modi.
The Prime Minister released a commemorative postal stamp ‘Surakshit Jaayen, Prashikshit Jaayen’ and also inaugurated the first-ever digital PBD Exhibition on the theme ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav – Contribution of Diaspora in Indian Freedom Struggle’.
The Commemorative postal stamp was released to underline the importance of safe, legal, orderly and skilled migration.
The 17th PBD 2023 holds significance as it is being organised as a physical event after a gap of four years and the first after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The last PBD Convention in 2021 was held virtually during the Pandemic.
Full Video of the inaugural PBD 2023 including the speeches of President of Surinam, President of Guyana & the Indian Prime Minister.
The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention is the flagship event of the Indian Government that provides an important platform to engage and connect with overseas Indians and enable the Diaspora to interact with each other. The theme of the 2023 PBD convention is ‘Diaspora: Reliable partners for India’s progress in Amrit Kaal’. Over 3,500 Diaspora members from nearly 70 countries across the globe are attending the convention.
Earlier, in Melbourne, the Indian Consulate General Dr. Sushil Kumar welcomed community members gathered at the Indian Consulate to watch the PBD 2023 inaugural on big screen live streamed from India. He mixed with the Diaspora as others present networked with each other.
The PBD Convention will have five thematic plenary sessions –
- First Plenary on ‘Role of Diaspora Youth in Innovations and new Technologies’, chaired by Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports, Mr. Anurag Singh Thakur.
- Second Plenary on ‘Role of Indian Diaspora in promoting Indian Healthcare Eco-system in Amrit Kaal: Vision @2047’, chaired by Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya and co-chaired by Minister of State for External Affairs, Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh.
- Third Plenary on ‘Leveraging the soft power of India – Goodwill through craft, cuisine & creativity’, chaired by Minister of State for External Affairs, Mrs. Meenakshi Lekhi.
- Fourth Plenary on ‘Enabling global mobility of Indian workforce – Role of Indian Diaspora’, chaired by Minister of Education, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan.
- Fifth Plenary on ‘Harnessing the potential of diaspora entrepreneurs towards an inclusive approach to nation building’, chaired by Minister of Finance, Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman.
- All the Plenary Sessions will feature panel discussions inviting eminent diaspora experts.
The PBD 2023 is taking place on 9, 10 & 11 January, 2023, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India.
At the Indian Consulate, Melbourne event.
