Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas

About Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas

• It is also known as Non-Resident Indian (NRI) Day, is celebrated on January 9 to mark the contribution and achievements of the overseas Indian community to the development of India.
• It is the flagship event of the Ministry of External Affairs.
• The day also commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest Pravasi, from South Africa to India in 1915, who led India's freedom struggle and changed the lives of Indians forever.
• It was first celebrated in 2003.
• It was an annual event earlier, but in 2015, the government revised its format to celebrate PBD once every two years.
• It has become a platform to connect the Indian diaspora with their roots and encourage their continued engagement with India’s progress.
• It is held in different cities, to showcase the diversity and progress of different regions of India.
• Till date, 17 conventions have been held. The last Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was celebrated in the Indore of Madhya Pradesh in 2023.

Q1) Who is known as a Person of Indian Origin?

A Person of Indian Origin (PIO) means a foreign citizen (except a national of. Pakistan, Afghanistan Bangladesh, China, Iran, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Nepal) who at any time held an Indian passport. Or. who or either of their parents/ grand parents/ great grand parents was born.

Source: Prime Minister greets on the occasion of Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas