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India celebrated the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) on 9th January 2025.

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• The theme for the 18th PBD is the “Diaspora’s contribution to a Viksit Bharat”.
• The 18th PBD Convention is being held from January 8th to 10th, 2025 in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

• The Prime Minister of India launched the Pravasi Bharatiya Express, a special Tourist Train for the Indian diaspora. The train will be conducted under the Pravasi Teertha Darshan Yojana of the Ministry of External Affairs.
• The Prime Minister also inaugurated four following exhibitions:
• Vishwaroop Ram – It presents the timeless epic of Ramayana through a curated juxtaposition (to notice side by side) of traditional and contemporary art forms.
• Diaspora’s Contribution to Technology and Viksit Bharat: This exhibition acknowledges the contributions of the Indian diaspora to the development of technology in the world.
• Spread and Evolution of Indian diaspora: This exhibition showcased rare documents of people who had migrated from Mandvi (a town in Kachchh district) in Gujarat to Muscat in Oman.
• Heritage and Culture of Odisha: This exhibition showcased the rich heritage and cultural traditions of Odisha through its different art and craft forms.

• As part of the PBD, Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas – a platform for Pravasi youth from Odisha to reconnect with their roots – was also inaugurated. 

• During the valedictory session of PBD on 10th January, the President of India will present the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards.

• As many as 27 individuals and organisations will be honoured this year.

• Before the launch of the convention an official website (pbdindia.gov.in) was launched in November 2024. 

About Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas (PBD)

• It commemorates the day (9th January) in 1915 when Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the Nation and the greatest Pravasi, returned to India from South Africa to lead the country's freedom struggle.
• The PBD was first established in 2003 to recognize and engage with the overseas Indian community. 
• Since 2015, the centenary year of Gandhi’s return, its format has been revised to celebrate the PBD once every two years and to hold theme-based PBD Conferences during the intervening period with participation from overseas diaspora experts, policy makers and stakeholders. 
• The 17^th PBD Convention was held from January 8-10, 2023, in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. 

• The primary goals of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas are:

• To commemorate the contributions of the Indian diaspora to India's development
• To support India's causes and work for the welfare of local Indian communities worldwide
• To provide a platform for overseas Indians to engage with the government and people of their ancestral land. 

Indian Diaspora

• India is the origin of the largest number of international migrants in the world, touching nearly 18 million, according to the UN World Migration Report 2024.
• As per India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs as of May 2024, the total number of overseas Indians worldwide is approximately 35.42 million, which includes about 15.85 million non-resident Indians (NRIs) and nearly 19.57 million individuals of Indian origin (PIOs)
• The United States is home to the largest Indian population (54 lakh), followed by UAE (36 lakh) and Malaysia (29 lakh).
• This population sends huge remittances back home which amounted to around $120 billion in 2023.