Pravasi Bhartiya Divas 2019 [Current Affairs for NDA]

By MKC Editorial Team Last updated May 1, 2019

Current Affairs for NDA – NDA 1 2019 is going to held on 21st April 2019. The second paper of NDA 1 2019 consists of numerous Current Affairs. These Current Affairs for NDA consists of multiple topics and are of paramount importance to NDA aspirants.

Pravasi Bhartiya Divas 2019 | Current Affairs for NDA

Table of Contents

The Union Government of India celebrates Pravasi Bhartiya Divas or Non Resident Indian Day on 9^th of January each year, to commemorate the achievements of the individuals of Indian origin, in their respective fields; and also to persuade them to bring their knowledge and expertise to Indian soil.

The day also marks the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa on 9^th January 1915 and he is presented as a symbol of a change and development a Non Resident Indian could bring into India.

Mahatma Gandhi inculcated his experiences of 21 years as a Civil Rights Activist in South Africa into India’s freedom struggle; finally freeing her from the clutches of British Empire.

The Government of India believes that a NRI has a global exposure in terms of business and development strategies around the world; therefore, if provided with an opportunity they will infuse those ideas and experiences on their mother land, contributing to her development.

The first Pravasi Bhartiya Divas was celebrated on 9^th January 2003 and was observed annually till 2015. A decision to make the event biennial was taken by the Ministry Of External Affairs in 2016, since then it is celebrated every second year.

For the first time in the history of Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas, the event is being held in Varanasi, the cultural and spiritual capital of India. From 21st to 23rd January, the city will be a witness to scores of sessions, seminal talks by experts and luminaries in their fields, cultural programs and visit of the NRIs to renowned places of Kashi, Sarnath and Ganga Ghats among others.

Theme for PBD 2019 | Current Affairs for NDA

The theme for PBD 2019 is “Role of Indian Diaspora in building New India“. Several world leaders of Indian origin will share their insights into the role of Indian diaspora for a New India.

Major events in PBD 2019 | Current Affairs for NDA

Youth PBD: The opening day on 21st January will mark the Youth PBD with the focus on the generation next especially from Uttar Pradesh. The young diaspora will engage with its counterparts back home in India. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj along with UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, MoS sports and Youth affairs, Colonel Rajyawardhan Singh Rathore will share the dais with Member of Parliament from New Zealand KanwalJeet Singh Bakshi and MP from Norway Himanshu Gulati among others.

Plenary: PM Narendra Modi will inaugurate the PBD on 22nd January with the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnath as the Chief Guest. Several plenary sessions will be held on issues ranging from challenges and opportunities to sustainable development , artificial intelligence and cyber capacity to name a few at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Trade Facilitation Centre-TFC, the main venue of PBD at BadaLalpur of Varanasi. PM Modi will also host a lunch for the Heads of states and over fifty selected Pravasi Bhartiya delegates and leaders.

Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Award: The Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Award PSBA is the highest honor conferred on overseas Indian. It will be conferred by the President Ram Nath Kovind on 23rd January to selected NRIs, PIOs, organization or institution established and run by the NRIs who have made significant contribution to various fields both in India and abroad.

Cultural Events: As the PBD is being organized at Varanasi, the cultural and spiritual capital of India, numerous cultural activities have been embedded in such a way that the delegates may get a very enticing, enriching and fulfilling experience. In the run up of the PBD, several exhibitions including a digital exhibition on the theme of ‘Ek Bharat Swacch Bharat: Sardar Patel and Gandhi ke Sapno ka Bharat has been put up among others.

The annual Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Program since 2003 has been organized in the following cities:

Day	Year	Venue	State
1st	2003	New Delhi	Delhi
2nd	2004	New Delhi	Delhi
3rd	2005	Mumbai	Maharashtra
4th	2006	Hyderabad	Andhra Pradesh (Now in Telangana)
5th	2007	New Delhi	Delhi
6th	2008	New Delhi	Delhi
7th	2009	Chennai	Tamil Nadu
8th	2010	New Delhi	Delhi
9th	2011	New Delhi	Delhi
10th	2012	Jaipur	Rajasthan
11th	2013	Kochi	Kerala
12th	2014	New Delhi	Delhi
13th	2015	Gandhinagar	Gujarat
14th	2017	Bengaluru	Karnataka
15th	2019	Varanasi	Uttar Pradesh

*The 14th PBD scheduled to be held in 2016 was cancelled.

Established in 2000, it is sponsored by the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the Confederation of Indian Industries and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.

History of PBD | Current Affairs for NDA

In 2014, Pravasi Bhartiya Divas was held in New Delhi and was attended by 1,500 delegates from 51 countries. In 2013, 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was held in Kochi from 7–9 January, where the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) is organizing partner of the summit. The President of Mauritius, Rajkeswur Purryag, was the chief guest at the official inaugural session. Canadian Minister Jason Kenney became the first individual of non-Indian heritage to address the gathering.

The 12th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was held during 7–9 January 2014 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The Theme for this year was Engaging Diaspora: Connecting across Generations. The 13th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was held during 7–9 January 2015 at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The Theme for this year was “Apna Bharat, Apna Gaurav“. The 14th PravasiBharatiya Divas, which was supposed to be held during 7–9 January 2016 at New Delhi, was cancelled under the MEA’s decision to make the event biennial. The 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was held during 7–9 January 2017 at Bengaluru, Karnataka. The theme for this year was “Redefining engagement with the Indian diaspora”. The Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2018 was held during 6–7 January 2018 at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2019 Preparations | Current Affairs for NDA

‘Pravasi Bharatiya Divas’ App has been launched to help the dignitaries to get the latest updates and information on Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. The app will also showcase the events, registration, program schedule and other important details regarding the day.
Hybrid Solar Boat will run in Varanasi and a pollution control device will be setup at Kashi Vishwanath Temple to control air pollution in the premises.
The Ministry of External Affairs will open its temporary office in the holy city to facilitate the proper functioning of the events.
A Camp Office of the Chief Minister would also be opened to keep a vigil on the preparations and for the successful completion of the festival.
The traffic police of Varanasi has also geared up and divided Varanasi into 5 zones to facilitate the smooth functioning of traffic during the occasion.
Youths in Varanasi have found a unique way to welcome the delegates by showcasing the historic culture of Varanasi by paintings the walls of city.
This painting exhibits the journey of Varanasi from ancient history to the modern technological developments.
The walls of Prayagraj (Allahabad) have also got the marvelous makeover through religious paintings ahead of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and ‘Ardh Kumbh Mela’.
A tent city has been setup for the delegates of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in the holy city of Varanasi at the Trade Facilitation Center near River Varuna. Each tent is equipped with the most modern facilities with attractive interiors. Apart from continental dishes the guests will also be served the regional mouthwatering delicacies of Varanasi.

History of Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas | Current Affairs for NDA

A high level committee under the chairmanship of L.M. Singhvi was appointed in September 2001 by the Union Government of India to look into the matters of Non Resident Indians and the people of Indian origin who have migrated to other parts of the world.
The committee presented its report to then Prime Minister of India Sri Atal Bihari Vajpayee on 8^thJanuary 2002 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. It its report the committee recommended establishing dialogues and interaction with Indian Diaspora abroad; to address to their issues as well as to gain from their knowledge and expertise. The Prime Minister announced the observation of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas on 9^th of January from the next year. The date was chosen to mark the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa on 9^th January 1915.
The recommendations of the Committee were aimed at addressing the issues those concern India’s own children residing outside, and also to commemorate their effort towards spreading the Indian culture and values to other parts of the world. A decision was also made to felicitate those who have made commendable achievements in their respective fields; by conferring to them “Pravasi Bhartiya Samman”.

Chief Guests at the PBD | Current Affairs for NDA

Sir Anerood Jugnauth; Prime Minister of Mauritius was the chief Guest for 1^st Pravasi Bhartiya Divas.
Shri BharratJagdeo; President of Guyana was the Chief Guest for 2^ndPravasi Bhartiya Divas.
Shri J.R. Ajodhia, Vice President of Suriname was the Chief Guest for 3^rdPravasi Bhartiya Divas.
Shri Ahmed Kathrada; political activist from South Africa was the chief guest of 4^thPravasi Bhartiya Divas.
Professor S. Jayakumar; Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore was the Chief Guest of 5^thPravasi Bhartiya Divas.
Navinchandra Ramgoolam; Prime Minister of Mauritius was the Chief Guest of 6^thPravasi Bhartiya Divas.
Ramdien Sardjoe; Vice President of Suriname was the Chief Guest of 7^thPravasiBhartiya Divas.
Khalid Hameed; Chairman of the Alpha Hospital Group, UK, was the Chief Guest of 8^thPravasi Bhartiya Divas.
Sir Anand Satyanand; Governor General of New Zealand was the Chief Guest of 9^thPravasi Bhartiya Divas.
Kamla Persad Bissessar; Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago was the Chief Guest of 10^th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas.
Rajkeswur Purryag; President of Mauritius was the Chief Guest of 11^thPravasi Bhartiya Divas.
Sri G.Palanivel; Federal Minister for Natural Resource and Environment, Malaysia, was the Chief Guest of 12^thPravasi Bhartiya Divas.
Donald Rabinderanauth Ramotar; President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, was the Chief Guest of 13^thPravasi Bhartiya Divas.
Antonio Costa; Prime Minister of the Republic of Portugal was the Chief Guest of 14^thPravasi Bhartiya Divas.
Pravind Kumar Jugnauth; the Prime Minister of Mauritius will be the chief Guest on 15^thPravasiBhartiya Divas from the invitation of Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi.

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