The 13th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is being organized at Gandhinagar, Gujarat from January 7 to 9, 2015. It is the first time that PBD has gone to Gujarat.

The PBD 2015 is dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest non-resident Indian who on January 9, 1915 had come back to India from his pravas.

To connect India to its vast overseas diaspora and bring their knowledge, expertise and skills on a common platform, the PBD Convention – the flagship event of Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), Government of India is organized from 7th-9th January every year since 2003.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated on 9th January every year to mark the contribution of Overseas Indian community in the development of India. January 9 was chosen as the day to celebrate this occasion since it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest Pravasi, returned to India from South Africa, led India’s freedom struggle and changed the lives of Indians forever.

PBD conventions are being held every year since 2003. These conventions provide a platform to the overseas Indian community to engage with the government and people of the land of their ancestors for mutually beneficial activities. These conventions are also very useful in networking among the overseas Indian community residing in various parts of the world and enable them to share their experiences in various fields.

During the event, individuals of exceptional merit are honored with the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award to appreciate their role in India’s growth. The event also provides a forum for discussing key issues concerning the Indian Diaspora.

Inaugurating the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar on January 7, Sushma Swaraj, Union Minister for External Affairs and Overseas Indian Affairs exhorted the Indian youth diaspora to ‘connect, celebrate and contribute’ to the transformational change being witnessed in India in the making of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshth Bharat’.

Sushma said, “The Indian youth diaspora can become ambassadors of the ‘new’ India as “you have retained a bit of India in your heart and each one of you have a bit of ‘Bharat’ in you.”

The Minister said that Youth PBD was not just about interacting with the young people of this country but has emerged as an important platform for the diaspora to discover and nurture their roots.

She appealed to the youth to connect with the young generation of Indians – over 50% of the Indian people were under 25 years. Youth PBD, she said, was an occasion to celebrate India’s traditions, art and culture, even as the country strives to empower its youth with technology.

“What excites the world today is India’s growth story,” Swaraj said and pointed to the government’s success in bringing about a complete transformation of the business sentiment in the country. This, she added, was the outcome of the numerous steps undertaken by the government to improve the ease of doing business.

Swaraj said the diaspora could contribute significantly to the development of India through programs such as ‘Make in India‘, ‘Digital India’, creation of smart cities and other physical infrastructure.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on January 8, announced a string of facilities for expatriate Indians that seek to free them of regulations on their arrival to India and within the country.

Inaugurating the 13th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), organized by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and the Government of Gujarat, the Prime Minister said life time visa will now be granted to PIO cardholders and as a mark of respect to them, the regulation requiring them to visit a police station to verify their credentials once every week, has been scrapped.

Modi said while the PIO and OCI cards have been merged, allowing similar facilities to either cardholder, electronic authorization of visa has commenced, apart from extending the facility of visa on arrival from 43 countries. In addition, the Pravasi Bharatiya Centre will be operational in Delhi soon. The Prime Minister said engaging with the pravasis was not a one-way street; “not everything should be seen in terms of pounds or dollar” he said, adding that overseas Indians need to be given unstinted support so that they feel enthusiastic in contributing to India’s development.

The Prime Minister suggested that an online quiz competition could be started from the PBD platform on ‘Bharat ko Jano’ for teams of young people worldwide. This would help project India’s development effort in the right perspective. The competition, he said, could be conducted round the year so that the campaign for knowing India becomes a global movement.

Modi urged the pravasis to actively participate in the government’s ambitious ‘Clean Ganga’ initiative by sharing their expertise in technology, innovations, ideas and resources. “There are opportunities for all along the river – in agriculture, water transport, city development and village rejuvenation and even adventure sports,” the Prime Minister said.

On the occasion of the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa, the Prime Minister released Rs 25 and Rs 5 commemorative stamps and Rs 100 and Rs 10 coins.

The Chief Guest at the PBD, Donald R. Ramotar, President of the Republic of Guyana, said India’s has seen a transformational change in recent years. The time has come arrived for India to demonstrate its mature political leadership to guide other developing countries, participate more actively in internal forums, look outwards for channelizing investments to other countries and strengthen air and maritime links with the rest of the world.

He assured Guyana’s commitment to India’s pursuit of reform of the UN Security Council and expressed total support for India’s candidature for a permanent seat in an expanded Security Council.

Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Republic of South Africa, the Guest of Honour, pointed out that the political, economic and cultural bonds between South Africa and India were strong. These were cemented by the community of Indians in South Africa, the second largest outside India. The bonds must be further strengthened by addressing the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and under-development.

She stressed the need for closer cooperation between the two countries in the fields of IT, healthcare and renewable energy and expressed confidence that India would support South Africa in its development efforts. Sushma Swaraj, Union Minister for External Affairs and Overseas Indian Affairs, emphasized that successful and politically influential diaspora is an asset to India. She called upon the diaspora to pursue a mutually rewarding participation in developing India.

Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat, said that the new economic and social initiatives launched by the Central Government have unleashed a new wave of enthusiasm among the people. The pravasis with the sincere hard work had raised India’s image internationally, while keeping the links with the land of their origin alive.

The three- day kumbh of the NRIs has attracted NRIs from all parts of the world. For most Gujaratis abroad it is a welcome visit home.