The 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention will be held in Bhubaneswar from 8-10 January. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will formally inaugurate the three-day event on 9 January. It will feature a virtual address by Chief Guest Christine Carla Kangaloo, President of Trinidad & Tobago.

The PBD Convention is the flagship event of the Government of India that provides an important platform to connect and engage with the Indian diaspora and enable them to interact with each other.

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The theme of the event, being organised in partnership with the State Government of Odisha, is “Diaspora’s Contribution to a Viksit Bharat”. A large number of Indian diaspora members from over 50 different countries have registered to participate in the PBD Convention.

The PM will remotely flag-off the inaugural journey of the Pravasi Bharatiya Express, a special Tourist Train for the Indian diaspora, which will depart from the Nizamuddin Railway Station in Delhi and would travel to multiple destinations of touristic and religious importance in India for a period of three weeks. The Pravasi Bharatiya Express will be conducted under the Pravasi Teertha Darshan Yojana of the Ministry of External Affairs.

The PM will also inaugurate four exhibitions at the 18th PBD Convention as follows:
(i) Vishwaroop Ram – The Universal Legacy of Ramayana: This exhibition would present the timeless epic of Ramayana through a curated juxtaposition of traditional and contemporary art forms.

(ii) Diaspora’s Contribution to Technology and Viksit Bharat. This exhibition would acknowledge the contributions of the Indian diaspora to the development of technology in the world.

(iii) Spread and Evolution of Indian diaspora in the world with special focus on Mandvi to Muscat. This exhibition will showcase rare documents of people who had migrated from Mandvi in Gujarat to Muscat in Oman.

(iv) Heritage and Culture of Odisha: The exhibition will showcase the rich heritage and cultural traditions of Odisha through its different art and craft forms and highlight its illustrious legacy.

President Droupadi Murmu will preside over the Valedictory Session of the PBD Convention on 10 January. She will confer the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2025 upon select members of the Indian diaspora to recognise their achievements and to honour their contributions in various fields in India and abroad.

The Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be held on 8 January, 2025 in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Dr Dev Pragad, CEO of Newsweek, will be the Guest of Honour at the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.

The PBD Convention will have five thematic plenary sessions as follows:
“Beyond Borders: Diaspora Youth Leadership in a Globalized World”;
“Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers: Stories of Migrant Skills”;
“Green Connections: Diaspora’s Contributions to Sustainable Development”;
“Diaspora Divas: Celebrating Women’s Leadership and Influence – Nari Shakti”; and
“Diaspora Dialogues: Stories of Culture, Connection and Belongingness”.

All the Plenary Sessions will feature panel discussions involving eminent diaspora experts.

The forthcoming 18th PBD Convention is significant as it is being organised for the first time in the State of Odisha, amid its rich historical, cultural and spiritual heritage.

The 17th PBD Convention was held in 2023 in Indore in partnership with the State Government of Madhya Pradesh.