EAM Jaishankar arrives in Bhubaneswar for Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Bhubaneswar to participate in this year’s Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. He is scheduled to visit the Sun Temple in Konark and Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri today. The 18th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is being held in Odisha’s capital for three days from tomorrow. More than 10,000 delegates from India and abroad are likely to attend the three-day grand event. 

The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated on the 9th of January to mark Mahatma Gandhi’s return from South Africa to India in 1915. It is a key initiative by the Central Government and focuses on the theme ‘Diaspora’s contribution to a Vikshit Bharat’ and aims to celebrate and



strengthen the bond between India and the overseas Indian community.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention on Thursday. President Droupadi Murmu will deliver the valedictory address on Friday and confer the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, which recognises individuals and organisations that have made significant contributions in fields such as social work, humanitarian efforts, and enhancing India’s global standing. Twenty-seven individuals and organisations will be honoured this year, from countries like the United States of America, Fiji, Guyana, Mauritius, Moldova, Myanmar, Russia and Saudi Arabia.