The Hindu Business Line : PM to open Pravasi Bharatiya Divas today

Chennai, Jan. 7 The stage is set for the seventh edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2009, to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, on Thursday here.

The event, jointly organised by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Confederation of Indian Industry, is based on the theme – Engaging the Diaspora: The Way Forward.

The President, Ms Pratibha Devisingh Patil, will present the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards. Fifteen Union Ministers and Chief Ministers of six States will be addressing the gathering. More than 1,500 delegates, speakers and officials from almost 50 countries are likely to participate.

Several initiatives are expected to be launched. The India Development Foundation of Overseas Indians is also expected to take shape during the convention.

Being set up as a ‘not-for-profit’ trust, the Foundation will help channelise diaspora philanthropy into geographical and social sectors of their choice. It will serve as a single window to facilitate partnerships, develop a base of credible institutions and programmes, and help promote accountability.

Several books will also be launched, including two manuals on investment and taxation regulation in India for overseas Indians.

The convention will also feature a number of exhibitions and related events. The Trade and Industry Exhibition was inaugurated by Mr V. Narayanasamy, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Planning, on Wednesday. Banks, corporates, and social service agencies have also put up stalls to attract the attention of overseas Indians.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was first launched in 2003 to commemorate the return to India of the first Pravasi, Mahatma Gandhi.

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