{"id":63854,"date":"2026-01-09T17:58:45","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T12:28:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=63854"},"modified":"2026-01-09T18:00:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T12:30:57","slug":"pravasi-bharatiya-divas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/09-01-2026\/pravasi-bharatiya-divas","title":{"rendered":"Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/IR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD)<\/strong> is celebrated <strong>once in two years<\/strong> on <strong>9th <\/strong>January.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The 18th edition took place in 2025 and the 19th is expected in 2027.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is a significant event that <strong>honors the contributions<\/strong> of the<strong> Indian diaspora to their homeland.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>January 9th <strong>commemorates the day in 1915<\/strong> when<strong> Mahatma Gandhi,<\/strong> the greatest Pravasi, <strong>returned to India from South Africa<\/strong> to lead the country&#8217;s freedom struggle.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention was first established in <strong>2003, <\/strong>it is the flagship event of the <strong>Ministry of External Affairs.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Since 2015, <\/strong>it has evolved into a <strong>biennale event,<\/strong> with theme-based conferences held in the intervening years.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Indian Diaspora<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The diaspora encompasses a group of people who can <strong>either trace their origins to India<\/strong> or<strong> who are Indian citizens living abroad, either temporarily or permanently.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>As per the Indian Ministry of External Affairs [2024], <\/strong>the global Indian diaspora numbers approximately 35.42 million, consisting of 15.85 million non-resident Indians (NRIs) and 19.57 million people of Indian origin (PIOs).\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Top 5 countries where the Indian diaspora resides:<\/strong> United States of America (USA): 5.4Mn, United Arab Emirates (UAE): 3.6Mn, Malaysia: 2.9Mn, Canada: 2.8Mn and Saudi Arabia: 2.4Mn.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>India is the origin of the largest number of international migrants<\/strong> in the world,\u00a0 touching nearly 18 million, according to the UN World Migration Report 2024.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Importance of the Diaspora<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Remittances:<\/strong> In 2024, India received an estimated $129.1 billion worth of remittances, the highest ever for a country in any year.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s share in global remittances was 14.3% in 2025, the highest such share since the turn of the millennium for any country.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>These contribute significantly to foreign exchange reserves and rural household incomes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Investment &amp; Trade: <\/strong>NRIs and PIOs invest in Indian real estate, startups, and infrastructure, and act as trade facilitators between India and their countries of residence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tech &amp; Innovation:<\/strong> Indian-origin professionals in Silicon Valley, academia, and global corporations contribute to knowledge transfer, mentorship, and innovation linkages.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cultural Ambassadors:<\/strong> The diaspora promotes Indian languages, yoga, cuisine, Cinema, and festivals globally.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Policy Advocacy:<\/strong> Diaspora communities often influence foreign policy decisions in host countries in favor of India.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Citizen Diplomacy:<\/strong> Diaspora involvement helps India manage relations during bilateral tensions or negative media coverage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Global Recognition: <\/strong>Their achievements enhance India\u2019s image as a land of talent and opportunity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges Faced by the Indian Diaspora<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>No Dual Citizenship: <\/strong>India does not allow dual citizenship, limiting political rights and emotional bonding with the homeland.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Racism &amp; Xenophobia:<\/strong> Rising racial attacks in countries like the USA, UK, Australia, and South Africa.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Legal and Immigration Issues: <\/strong>Countries have<strong> <\/strong>restrictive visa regimes, deportations, and uncertainties around work permits.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Low-Wage Migrant Workers:<\/strong> Many Indian workers in Gulf countries face exploitative contracts, wage delays, unsafe housing, and long working hours.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Struggle to Preserve Identity:<\/strong> Indian-origin youth in Western countries often face a crisis of identity and cultural alienation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Anti-Immigrant Sentiment:<\/strong> Rise in anti-immigrant sentiments during economic downturns and political polarisation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Initiatives to Engage Diaspora<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) Card:<\/strong> It offers lifelong visa-free entry, property rights (except agriculture), and economic privileges to eligible PIOs up to 4th generation (excluding Pakistan\/Bangladesh origin).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Know India Programme (KIP):<\/strong> Short-term orientation programme for diaspora youth (21-35 years) to connect with Indian culture, institutions, and states.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR): <\/strong>Promotes Indian culture abroad through cultural exchanges, academic chairs, and artist delegations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>e-Migrate System: <\/strong>Online platform to protect Indian workers abroad by streamlining recruitment, employment contracts, and grievance redressal.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bharatiya Pravasi Samman Award: <\/strong>Highest honor given by the Indian government to eminent diaspora members for their outstanding contributions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Madad Portal: <\/strong>Online grievance redressal platform by MEA for Indians abroad seeking help with passports, consular services, and legal issues.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>VAJRA Scheme: <\/strong>Invites Indian-origin scientists abroad to collaborate with Indian institutions in advanced research projects.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Global Pravasi Rishta Portal &amp; App: <\/strong>A digital platform to connect diaspora with Indian missions for registration, communication, and outreach activities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: PIB<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated once in two years on 9th January. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> About <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> It is a significant event that honors the contributions of the Indian diaspora to their homeland.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> January 9th commemorates the day in 1915 when Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest Pravasi, returned to India from South Africa to lead the country&#8217;s freedom struggle. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention was first established in 2003, it is the flagship event of the Ministry of External Affairs. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/09-01-2026\/pravasi-bharatiya-divas\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63854"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63854\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63860,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63854\/revisions\/63860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}