Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to be held in Bengaluru from January 7

The 14th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) will be held in Bengaluru January 7 to 9, 2017, and around 3,000 people are likely to participate in the event, it was announced on Friday.

Launching a new logo and a portal for the three-day event here, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told a press conference that format of the annual function has been changed and the event will now be "result-oriented" instead of a cultural function.

"The format has been changed. The event will now be result-oriented," she said.

The participants can register themselves through the portal that also gives all the information and details about the event. The registration fee has been reduced this time and fixed as $100 for the January 9 event, she said.

The main function of the event will be on January 9 that would see a participative session with the diaspora.

There would also be a Youth PBD on January 7.

Sushma Swaraj said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's fervent engagement with the Indian diaspora has had an impact and the number of participants in this year's event has gone up.

"Till a few years ago, the number of participants was in hundreds. Last year it was around 2,500 and this year we are expecting around 3,000 people and the actual number may go up," she said.

The participants can withdraw with full refunds by December 7 this year, the Minister said.

Karanataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said his state was keen to host the event and was preparing to make it "a huge success".

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated in India each year to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community to the development of India.

--IANS

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