Overview
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted greetings on X, calling the diaspora a powerful bridge that enriches other societies while staying connected to India.
- Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is observed each January 9 to honor overseas Indians, a date chosen for Mahatma Gandhi’s return from South Africa in 1915.
- The event was instituted in 2003 to formalize engagement with NRIs and PIOs and to recognize their role in India’s development and global standing.
- The Ministry of External Affairs shifted the main convention to a biennial schedule after 2015, with theme-based meetings in intervening years, and no full-scale gathering is slated for 2026.
- The 18th convention took place in 2025 in Bhubaneswar, inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi, featuring the theme of the diaspora’s contribution to a Viksit Bharat and addresses by international guests including Trinidad and Tobago’s president.