PM Modi to inaugurate 15th PBD Convention at Varanasi on Jan. 22

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) Convention at Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, on January 22, 2019. For the first time, the three- day long convention is being organised in Varanasi from January 21-23, 2019. The theme of PBD Convention 2019 is “Role of Indian Diaspora in building New India”.

Keeping in mind the desire of the larger diaspora to participate in Kumbh Mela and Republic Day celebrations, the 15th PBD Convention is being organised from January 21 to 23, 2019, instead of January 9. After the Convention, the participants will visit Prayagraj for Kumbh Mela on January 24. They will then proceed to Delhi on January 25 and witness the Republic Day Parade in New Delhi on January 26, 2019.

Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth will be the chief guest of the PBD convention.  Himanshu Gulati, Member of Parliament of Norway, will be the Special Guest while Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, Member of Parliament of New Zealand, will be the Guest of Honor at the 15th edition of PBD, according to a PIB release.

The decision to celebrate Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) was taken by former Indian Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The 1st PBD was held on January 9, 2003, in New Delhi. January 9 was chosen as the day to celebrate PBD as it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi had returned to India from South Africa.

PBD now celebrated once every two years, provides a platform to the overseas Indian community to engage with the government and reconnect with their roots. During the Convention, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman is conferred on the selected overseas Indians for their significant contributions to various fields both in India and abroad, according to a PIB release. The 14th PBD held from January 7 to 9, 2017, in Bengaluru, Karnataka ,was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.