The 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is set to be held in Bhubaneswar from January 8 to 10, 2025, following approval from Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, officials announced.
The event will be jointly organized by the Odisha government and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), according to a press statement released on Sunday. A five-member delegation from the MEA has already visited the venue to coordinate with state officials, and various committees have been established to ensure the smooth execution of the event.
Notable attendees will include President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Union Ministers, and Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi. The Prime Minister is expected to participate in the main event on the second day, during which he will launch the Pravasi Bharatiya Teerth Express, the statement added.
More than 5,000 diaspora members from various countries are anticipated to attend the three-day convention. Overseas Indians, NRIs, and other dignitaries will be given tours of various locations across Odisha, highlighting the state's rich cultural heritage, historical importance, and industrial potential, the government said.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated annually on January 9 to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's return to Mumbai from South Africa in 1915. Initially started in 2003, the event has been held biennially since 2015 to recognize the contributions of the overseas Indian community to the nation's development. The last edition was held in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
The decision to celebrate Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was made based on recommendations from the High-Level Committee (HLC) on the Indian Diaspora, which was established by the Government of India under the chairmanship of L. M. Singhvi. On January 8, 2002, then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee received the Committee's report during a public event at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi. The following day, January 9, 2002, he announced the launch of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD). This date was selected to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's return to India from South Africa in 1915.
(This story has been slightly reworked from an auto-generated PTI feed.)
