Date:04/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/04/stories/2008110459830700.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to open on January 8

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: All roads will lead to Chennai in January for Indians of the diaspora from all six continents, as the city plays host to the seventh edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.

While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the convention at Chennai Trade Centre on January 8, President Pratibha Devisingh Patil will give away the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards at the valedictory session on January 9. The theme of this year’s event is ‘Engaging the Diaspora: The Way Forward.’

About 1,500 non-resident Indians and people of Indian origin are expected to attend the event, which is aimed at connecting the 25 million Indians of the diaspora with India’s economic and social development. “There are three major objectives: to exchange views; explore business and trade opportunities; and network between communities,” says B.V. R. Mohan Reddy, southern regional chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry.

The event is being organised by the Union Ministry of Overseas Indians, the Tamil Nadu government and the CII. This year’s convention gains in significance in light of the increasing numbers of overseas Indians who have started exploring the economic and professional opportunities back home in India, either by returning to India or building business links with the Indian economy, Mr. Reddy says. Especially in the context of the country’s economic growth and emergence as a global power and the more recent global recession, such linkages could be vital.