"Very well organised, feedback from Pravasi very good": EAM Jaishankar lauds 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

Reflecting on his experience at the event, Jaishankar, who has attended numerous PBDs in various roles--including as minister, secretary, and ambassador--highlighted that this year's convention stood out in several ways.

Speaking to ANI in an exclusive interview he said, "We've just completed the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention. I have attended many of them. Some as minister, some assecretary, some as Ambassador. I must tell you, I felt that this time in many ways it was a very good PBD. It was very well organized. The feedback from the Pravasi was very good,"

"The sense we got from our partner, which is the state government of Odisha, was again something which was very appreciative. There were four exhibitions, one presenting Odisha, one on how the epic of Ramayan has played out in different countries, one on the maritime movement of the diaspora, particularly from the western coast to Oman, but other, other parts to Mauritius, etc. And there was one on the contribution which PIOs and NRIs had made," he added.

Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs also held a special briefing on this event, announcing the successful conclusion of the convention.

"I'm very happy to inform you that an hour ago we successfully concluded the official engagements of the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention in partnership with the State Government of Odisha," MEA Secretary (CPV & OIA) Arun Kumar Chatterjee stated.

"The three-day 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention started on 8th January and continued till today, that is 10th January. The theme for the PBD 2025 was "Diaspora's Contribution to a Viksit Bharat". The youth PBD was held on the first day which is on the 8th of January," he added.

The opening session was addressed by key leaders, including Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and other prominent figures.

"The opening session of this event was addressed by the Chief Minister of Odisha, Mohan Charan Majhi, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, and other leaders...The Chief Minister of Odisha and the External Affairs Minister parallelly chaired a Pravasi Bharatiya Business Leaders meeting which was addressed by both the leaders," Chatterjee said.

"The External Affairs Minister underlined the Government of India's steadfast commitment to Mission Purvodaya and the role of Odisha to its success," he added.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention is the flagship event of the Government of India that provides an important platform to connect and engage with the Indian diaspora and enable them to interact with each other.

The 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention is being organized in partnership with the State Government of Odisha from January 8 to 10 in Bhubaneswar.

The theme of this PBD Convention is "Diaspora's Contribution to a Viksit Bharat". A large number of Indian diaspora members from over 50 different countries have registered to participate in the PBD Convention. (ANI)