Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas 2025: Know why NRI day is celebrated, its theme, origin, and more

As we commemorate NRI (Non-Residents of India) Day in India today, here is all you need to know about the day, its history, significance, theme, venue for 2025, and more.

Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas 2025: Date, Origin, and Significance

The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is observed once every two years on January 9th, and this year, it will be observed on January 9, 2025, falling on a Thursday.

A flagship event of the Ministry of External Affairs, the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention was created in 2003 by then-Prime Minister Late Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a platform for recognising and engaging with the Indian population residing abroad.

The day has been observed on January 9th every year since 2003 to commemorate the contributions of the Overseas Indian population to India’s progress.

January 9 was chosen as the day to commemorate this milestone since it was on this date in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest Pravasi, returned to India from South Africa, led India’s liberation war, and permanently transformed the lives of Indians.

It is organised in different cities to highlight the uniqueness and growth of India’s many regions, and ever since 2015, it has expanded into a biennial event, with theme-based conferences hosted in the interim.

This approach enables more concentrated conversations on certain topics of interest and offers opportunities for networking among the global Indian diaspora.

Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas 2025: Theme and Venue

In 2025, we will observe the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention, which is being organised in collaboration with the State Government of Odisha from 08-10 January 2025 in Bhubaneswar, Orissa.

It will be celebrated under the theme, “The Diaspora’s Contribution to a Viksit Bharat,” with a considerable number of members of the Indian diaspora from over 50 different countries having registered to participate in the PBD Convention.

To mark the day, on January 8, 2025, India’s External Affairs Minister, Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, and Chief Minister of Odisha launched a platform for Pravasi youth to reconnect with their roots. (Source: PIB)

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