The 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas commenced on January 21, and will be held till January 23. This year, the theme of the event is “Role of Indian Diaspora in building a New India”. It is noteworthy that this is the first time since its inception in 2003 that the government's flagship outreach programme was not celebrated on its usual date, January 9. Ministry of External Affairs clarified, it is so because several expatriates wanted to attend the ongoing Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth was Chief Guest of the convention, while Himanshu Gulati, member of the Parliament of Norway, was special guest. Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, member of Parliament of New Zealand was Guest of Honour.
While inaugurating the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed NRIs and called them “brand ambassadors of India.” Over 4,000 NRIs from 85 countries marked attendance in Pravasi Bharatiya Divas this year. Modi addressed the delegates and NRIs at the inaugural ceremony and said, “Today, India is in the position to lead the world in several subjects. International Solar Alliance (ISA) is one such platform. Through this medium, we want to take the world towards ‘One World, One Sun, One Grid’.” He said, “In past 4.5 years, our government has given around Rs. 5 lakh 78 thousand crores directly to people through different schemes. We have transferred it to their bank accounts.” Adding, “In the last four years, India has made huge progress and left its mark in the world. Earlier they said India can’t change, we have reversed the situation.”
The PM took his mandatory dig at the Indian National Congress, saying, “We ended loot in 4 years, which the Congress identified it but lacked to will to find a solution. In past 4.5 years, our government has given around Rs. 5 lakh 78 thousand crores directly to people through different schemes. We have transferred it to their bank accounts.” Modi then urged diaspora at Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas to participate in building 'New India'. Addressing NRIs and Indian-origin people at the convention in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi, Modi described NRIs as India's brand ambassadors and said they were the symbols of the country's capabilities.
Modi also told overseas Indians that his government is making efforts to ease the processes concerning their social security, passport, visa and PIO and OCI cards and that work is on to issue chip-based e-passports. He said the government's endeavour was that overseas Indians should stay “happy and safe wherever they are.” “The government is trying to ease the entire processes concerning your social security, passport, visa, Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) Cards. We have taken a new step a few months back concerning overseas Indians. Our embassies and consulates are being connected to the Passport Seva Project worldwide,” the PM said.
Present at the occasion were External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat, UP Governor Ram Naik, and Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh, among others. Mauritian Premier Jugnauth too spoke at the event, positively surprising the audience by speaking in Bhojpuri. He hailed Modi for the country's transformation through initiatives such as the Skill India and the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao schemes. He also praised Modi's global stewardship in promoting clean energy and for setting up the International Solar Alliance.
Delivering the keynote address, he announced that Mauritius will host a Bhagwad Gita Mahotsav in partnership with the Haryana government next month and also for the first time, organise a Bhojpuri Festival next year. Many of those who first arrived in Mauritius to work as indentured labourers from India were from Bihar, and spoke Bhojpuri. Jugnauth also thanked India for supporting Mauritius' development through various assistance projects. Later, both the leaders held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the event.
