The convention will have three segments. Day 1 i.e 8th January 2023 is dedicated to the Youth while PM Modi will address the event on the 9th of January. Ms. Zaneta Mascarenhas Member of Parliament of Australia will be the guest of honor at the youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas on the 8th. Dr Mohamed Irfaaan Ali, the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, and the special guest of honour is Chandrikapersad Santokhi, President of the Republic of Surinam addressing the PBD on 8th January 2023. On 10th January 2023, the President of India Droupadi Murmu will confer Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Awards 2023 and preside over the valedictory session.
Considering the enthusiasm of the locals and the district administration one can say that it is a good decision to bring such events out of the capitol where they become more of a routine to many. Indore city which has been judged the cleanest city in the country for a record 6th time has its own charm and history.
Indore is the city of queen Ahilya Bai Holkar and the Holkars who were the satraps or the subedars of the Peshwa empire who ruled from Pune Maharashtra. This commercial capital of MP still has many important historic forts and other monuments that remind of the Holkars and in particular Ahilya Bai. The capital of the Holkars was Maheshwar which is just a two hours drive from Indore. The empowerment of women by Ahilya Bai through self-employment and entrepreneurship can be seen today in Maheshwar and its surroundings where many Maheshwari Saris are weaved and sold in major cities across the country.
It is this entrepreneurship spirit of Indore that was found ringing during the opening day of the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas with a special session and panel discussion on Startups. Indore has been extremely successful in its starts ups culture and has raised quite a few well known too. More than 800 starts ups are registered in the city and therefore it was no surprise that the first day of the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas is marked as the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and the Ministry of Youth Affairs jointly hosting the same. The Minister of Youth affairs and sports besides Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur, has come to attend the event and interact with youths of the state.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan spoke and encouraged the youth and everyone to develop the state and the city. He also asked delegates to visit the famous food corners in 'Sarafa' and '56 dukaan' the two well-known areas of Indore for foodies. EAM Jaishankar under whose ministry of External Affairs is hosting this event was his usual self with a short but stimulating address.
Day one also had an important plenary session attended by some well-known start-ups. Prominent among them was Ritesh Agrawal, founder of Oyo. The session concluded with good interaction and questions from the audience.
Day 2 will see Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the event.
