President Droupadi Murmu will confer the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards during the valedictory session of the PBD Convention in Odisha.

The President will present her closing remarks at the convention which began on January 8.

Advertisement

She arrived in Bhubaneswar on Thursday and was welcomed by Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and other BJP party leaders at Bhubaneswar Airport.

A highlight of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) convention is the presentation of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA). As many as 27 individuals and organisations will be honoured this year, from countries like the US, Fiji, Guyana, Mauritius, Moldova, Myanmar, Russia and Saudi Arabia.

The Ministry of External Affairs announced the names of the awardees for this year on January 3. The awardees include among others Baroness Usha Kumari Prashar from the UK (in the field of politics), Dr Sharmila Ford from the US for community service, and Dr Syed Anwar Khursheed from Saudi Arabia (in the field of Medical Science).

This prestigious honour is conferred upon Non-Resident Indians, Persons of Indian Origin, or organisations established and run by them. The PBSA recognizes outstanding achievements in various fields and celebrates the accomplishments and commitments of NRIs and PIOs in sectors such as education, science and innovation, trade and industry, arts and culture, social work, public service, and philanthropy.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated on January 9 to mark Mahatma Gandhi’s return from South Africa to India in 1915.

The 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention commenced at Bhubaneswar on Wednesday with the inauguration of Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar here.

The delegates have been participating in various plenary sessions on various issues during the three-day convention.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday formally inaugurated the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention at the Janata Maidan in Bhubaneswar.

Around 5,000 delegates from different corners of the world have been attending the grand convention.

PM Modi also inaugurated four exhibitions at the venue, ‘Vishwaroop Ram’, highlighting the legacy of the Ramayana across the globe, ‘Diaspora’s Contribution to Technology’, ‘Bharat Bharatiya: Swadesh Pardes’ showcasing the archival collections on migration of people from Gujarat to Oman and an ‘Exhibition on Heritage and Culture of Odisha’ highlighting the timeless glory of Odisha’s history and culture.

The Prime Minister remotely flagged off the inaugural journey of the Pravasi Bharatiya Express, a special tourist train designed for the Indian diaspora. The train will visit various destinations of cultural, historical, and religious importance throughout India over three weeks.

PM Modi, during his address at the inaugural session, sought the participation of the diaspora in making India a developed nation by 2047.

In a message to the global community, PM Modi said the future is not in ‘yuddha’ (war) but in Buddha (Lord Buddha, who symbolises peace).