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No outcome from previous Pravasi Bhartiya Divas conclaves: Swaraj

There was no concrete outcome from the 13 Pravasi Bhartia Divas (PBD) India hosted between 2003 and 2015 to connect with the diaspora and government aims to reverse it by making the platform outcome-driven from its next edition, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday said.

The PBD was launched by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 2003 to step up India’s engagement with its 25 million diaspora and annual congregation of NRIs and Persons of India origins had continued as an annual event till 2015.

Last year government had decided to make it a biennial event. The 14th edition of PBD will be held in Bengaluru from January 7 to 9.

Addressing a joint press conference along with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Swaraj said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was reaching out to the Indian diaspora across the globe and that the upcoming PBD will be very different from those held earlier.

“People coming from abroad will not go back only clicking selfies or photographs and having food... For the first time you will see a totally transformed PBD,” she said. Asked what was achieved in the previous PBDs, she said, “I think it will become relevant only after this PBD as I said I did not see any outcome out of the other PBDs.” 

The PBD used to be hosted by Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) along with one host state every year.

The upcoming PBD is being organised by the Ministry of External Affairs along with Karnataka government. Government, earlier this year, had merged MOIA with MEA to avoid duplication of work and to improve efficiency.
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