Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2019: Govt wants 31 million-strong Indian diaspora to make 'desi' drive with flagship programme

The Government of India will mark the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Varanasi between 21 and 23 January. Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth will preside over the three-day convention, where the theme this year is ‘Role of Indian Diaspora in building a New India’. Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth will preside over the three-day convention, where the theme this year is ‘ Role of Indian Diaspora in building a New India ’. This year, the government has also organised a ‘ Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas ’, with an eye on the young expatriate population who form a significant proportion of the Indian diaspora in the West. Take, for instance, that part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech at the 2017 edition, where he promoted his pet projects: “We have several programmes like the Swacch Bharat Mission, Digital India and Start-up India, where NRIs and PIOs can contribute for the betterment of India’s common man.” Remittances from Indian diaspora The Indian diaspora is the second largest in the world, with over 31 million people.