16^th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas Convention 2021

The 16^th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention was organized on 9 January 2021, on virtual platform, due to Covid-19 pandemic. The theme of PBD 2021 was "Contributing to Aatmanirbhar Bharat”. PBD Convention is the flagship event of the Government of India and provides an important platform to engage and connect with the vibrant overseas Indian diaspora and celebrate their achievements and contributions. Indian Diaspora across the world including from Malaysia enthusiastically participated in the celebration. In view of the ongoing pandemic, the event was virtually attended by select representatives of the Indian diaspora in Malaysia in compliance with the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) and prevailing SoPs in Malaysia.

In the run up to the 16^th PBD Convention, five PBD Conferences were held virtually, on various theme- Role of Diaspora in Promotion of Indian Culture (9 December 2020), Dialogue with Diaspora Business Leaders & CEOs – Targeting US$ 5 Trillion Aatmanirbhar Bharat Economy by boosting MSMEs  (10 December 2020), Regional PBD – GCC- India Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Conference (11 December 2020), Forging Media & Entertainment Partnership to showcase India @75 ( 21 December 2020),  Bringing together India’s Young Achievers & Diaspora Young Achievers from different walks of life (8 January 2021). Mr. Shankar Kandasamy from Temple of Fine Arts, Malaysia, participated and shared his views, as a panelist, during the first PBD Conference on “Role of Diaspora in Promotion of Indian Culture” held on 9 December 2020.

The Youth PBD was celebrated on 8 January 2021, with an aim to deepen the Government’s engagement with the rapidly growing population of Youth Diaspora. The Youth PBD was anchored by the Ministry Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India. H.E. Ms. Priyanca Radhakrishnan, Minister for Community& Voluntary Sector of New Zealand graced the occasion as Special Guest. A conference on the theme "Bringing together Young Achievers from India and Indian Diaspora” was also organized, to offer a platform for engagement between India’s accomplished youth   eminent diaspora youth across the world. Mr. Thinalan T, Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) Youth Leader, as a panelist, articulated aspirations of Malaysian youth in a cogent and coherent manner.

On 9 January, 2021, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the 16th PBD Convention. In his inaugural address, PM Modi stated that if the world trusts India, one of the reasons is the Indian diaspora. World over, people have seen our diaspora's accomplishments and through them, seen glimpses of India's glorious culture as well as ethos. He also announced names of the winners of the third edition of “Bharat ko Janiye Quiz 2021” held for diaspora youth to encourage them to know more about India. The Chief Guest, Hon’ble President of the Republic of Suriname, H.E. Mr. Chandrikapersad Santokhi, delivered the keynote address at the event.

The Inaugural session was followed by the two Plenary sessions. The first Plenary session on “Role of Diaspora in Aatmanirbhar Bharat” was addressed by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Minister for Commerce and Industry, Shri PiyushGoyal. The second Plenary session on” Facing Post Covid Challenges - Scenario in Health, Economy, Social and International Relations” was addressed by Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan and Minister of State for External Affairs, Shri V Muraleedharan. Both Plenaries featured panel discussions with eminent diaspora experts.

The Hon’ble President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind delivered his Valedictory address to mark the occasion of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. He conferred Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards to select Indian diaspora members to recognize their achievements and contributions to various fields, both in India and abroad.

The PBD convention as well as the preceding PBD Conferences were live streamed across External Affairs Ministry’s virtual platforms to enable every Indian and Diaspora member to engage and participate in the PBD Celebrations.

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Kuala Lumpur

10 January 2021