By IANS,
New Delhi : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the seventh Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) in Chennai in January next year. Its theme will be the role of overseas Indians in India’s emergence as a global power.
The convention for overseas Indians will take place at the Chennai Trade Centre Jan 7-9, 2009, with the help of the Tamil Nadu government and the Confederation of Indian Industry.
While Singh will give the inaugural speech Jan 8, President Pratibha Patil will deliver the valedictory address Jan 9. She will also confer the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards for 2009.
The workshops during the PBD will have topics ranging from “Indian Diaspora: Preservation of Language and Culture”, “Health Concerns of Indian Diaspora”, “Role of Diaspora Youth in the 21st Century India”, and “India As An Emerging Power: The Diaspora Factor”.
According to a press statement, a unique feature of the event is the Building-the-Bridges sessions on ‘Trade & Industry’, ‘Culture & Entertainment’, ‘Education’ and ‘Philanthropy’.
The Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre (OIFC) will set up a “Market Place” at the venue to facilitate business and investment.
Besides, there will be regional working sessions on diaspora in the Gulf, Asia-Pacific, Africa, the US, Europe, the Caribbean and Canada.
A website “www.pbdindia.org” will be launched later this month. It would provide more details and open the registration for the convention.