The 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention will take place from January 21–23, 2019, in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention is a focal point for the government’s interaction with the Indian community living abroad. The previous Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs has organized the event each year. It was decided to hold the PBD Convention once every two years at the 13th Edition, which took place in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, in January 2015. The 14th Edition of the PBD Convention, which was the next convention after that, took place from January 7 to January 9 in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The Government of Uttar Pradesh collaborated with the 15th PBD Convention 2019 to be held in Varanasi. This time, the PBD Convention was held from January 21–23, 2019 in remembrance of the sentiments expressed by the larger diaspora, Indian Organisations, community, and elected leaders abroad because of Kumbh Snan.
The Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (YPBD), which allows the government to connect with the young Indians living abroad, was featured at the PBD Convention on January 21. Together with the Honorable EAM, the Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports (IC) co-chaired this event. On January 21, 2019, UP PBD held a parallel session. The Prime Minister officially opened the PBD Convention on January 22. The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards were given to 30 overseas Indians and organizations on January 23rd, and the President also gave the closing address. PBD delegates had the chance to take part in the Kumbh Snan on January 24 in Prayagraj and the Republic Day Parade in New Delhi on January 26. The Prime Minister of Mauritius, Shri Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, accepted our invitation to be the Chief Guest at the PBD Convention.
As the Chief Guest, leaders or well-known people of Indian descent are typically invited. As a special guest, Shri Himanshu Gulati, a member of the Norwegian parliament, attended the YPBD on January 21. A New Zealand member of parliament named Shri Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi was the guest of honor at the Youth PBD. High ranking dignitaries from around the world also took part. The role of the Indian diaspora in creating a New India was the PBD Convention’s 2019 theme. Over the course of three days, there were seven plenary sessions held on this theme, and both Indians living abroad and Indian domain specialists attended. Along with local Indians who are knowledgeable about the topics to be covered in the Plenary Sessions at the PBD Convention, the Ministry also invited overseas Indians, subject matter experts, and resident Indians.
