Modi to inaugurate Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas convention in Varanasi on Tue

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Tuesday inaugurate the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas convention in his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi.

For the first time, the three-day-long convention is being organised from January 21 to 23 instead of January 9 to allow participants visit the Kumbh mela in Allahabad and attend the Republic Day parade here.

The theme of this year's convention is 'role of Indian diaspora in building new India', a statement from the prime minister's office said.

Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth will be the chief guest of the convention, while Himanshu Gulati, member of Parliament of Norway, will be the special guest. Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, member of Parliament of New Zealand, will be the guest of honour.

The decision to celebrate Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas was taken by then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the first event was celebrated on January 9, 2003 here.
 

January 9 was chosen as the day to celebrate Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas as it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi had returned to India from South Africa.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas is now celebrated once in every two years and provides a platform to the overseas Indian community to engage with the government and reconnect with their roots, the statement said.

During the convention, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman is conferred on the selected overseas Indians for their significant contributions to various fields, both in India and abroad.