The 14th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) convention will today begin in Bengaluru.
The three-day event will kick start with the Youth PBD, the theme of which is 'Role of Diaspora Youth in the Transformation of India'.
Vice President of Suriname, Michael Ashwin Adhin, will deliver a keynote address in the inaugural session. Minister of State for External Affairs General VK Singh and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will also address the session, which will be chaired by Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Vijay Goel.
Three plenary sessions are scheduled to be held in Youth PBD. The first will be on reaching out to Indian Students abroad, NRIs and overseas Indian Community Students in India. The second one will be on start-ups and innovations and the third on start-up ecosystem in Karnataka.
The main convention will be inaugurated tomorrow by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief guest of the event, Prime Minister of Portugal Dr Antonio Costa.
President Pranab Mukherjee will confer Pravasi Bhartiya Samman on Monday.
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The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention is a very important platform for engagement of the central and state governments with the Overseas Indian Community.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas has been held traditionally on 9th January every year to commemorate the return of Mahatma Gandhi as a Pravasi from South Africa to India.