India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announced that the 14th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be held in Bengaluru from January 7 to 9, 2017. Launching a new logo and a portal for the three day event, Swaraj said format of the function has been changed, and the event will now be "result-oriented" instead of a cultural function. She said participants can register themselves through the portal, and that the fee has been reduced this year.
"Till a few years ago, the number of participants was in hundreds. Last year it was around 2,500, and this year we are expecting around 3,000 people and the actual number may go up," she said. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said his state was keen on hosting the event and is already making preparations to make it a "huge success".
The main function of the event will be on January 9 that would see a participative session with the diaspora. There would also be a Youth PBD on January 7. Sushma Swaraj said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's fervent engagement with the Indian diaspora has had an impact and the number of participants in this year's event has gone up.
