28 July :A mini version of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) would be held in Singapore on 10th-11th October this year. “PBD Singapore” is the second such convention of Indian Diaspora to be held outside India. The tagline for the event is “Towards a Dynamic Diaspora”. The first Mini-PBD was organized in New York in September last year.
Prime Minister of Singapore H. E. Lee Hsien Loong would deliver the keynote address at the inaugural session of the mini PBD on 10th October. The President of Singapore H. E. S.R. Nathan has consented to be the Guest of Honour at the gala dinner being organized the same evening. A separate dialogue session with Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew is also scheduled.
The concept of mini PBD is based on requests received over the years from various quarters to organise it outside India to let the Indian Diaspora in the region benefit from the deliberations. This is particularly helpful to those large numbers of Indians in several regions who are not able to make it to the annual PBDs held in India. Last year’s mini PBD in New York was attended by over 400 delegates belonging to the Indian American community and others in the region.
The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs would jointly host the mini PBD in partnership with the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI), and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). It would be a regional event with participation mainly from ASEAN, Asia Pacific and East Asian countries, though speakers from other parts of the world are also invited.
The convention would be held at the hotel Ritz Carlton Millennia Singapore and the Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is the flagship event of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs. It is celebrated in recognition and appreciation of the constructive, economic and philanthropic role played by the Indian Diaspora, on the 9th day of January every year. The date has been chosen because it was on this day that Mahatma Gandhi, a Pravasi Bharatiya in South Africa for almost 2 decades, returned to India in 1915. The next main PBD is scheduled on 7-9 January 2009.