Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Thousands of non-resident Indians and members of the Indian diaspora from all over the world will be gathered in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, for the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) celebrations, which are scheduled to start on January 8. Commemorating Mahatma Gandhi’s 1915 return to India from South Africa, the PBD festivities began in January 2003 and honor the accomplishments and contributions of the Indian diaspora living abroad to the nation’s progress. PBD’s initial move to the eastern portion of the nation confirms and strengthens the Center’s will to move forward with its “Purvodaya” initiative, which was designed for the overall development of the eastern area, which includes states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and West Bengal.
In an effort to accelerate the government’s “Viksit Bharat” ambition, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman detailed the government’s decision to create a strategy called “Purvodaya” to capitalize on the region’s rich cultural traditions and turn them into economic hubs in the Union Budget 2024. In keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government’s Purvodaya plan, which aims to create a comprehensive and thorough development blueprint for the area, Odisha is hosting the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. This objective will be greatly advanced by Odisha’s abundant mineral and natural resource reserves. In industries like mining, the production of iron and steel, the maritime economy, sports, skill development, and even the knowledge economy, the state is in the forefront of its peers. Numerous Indian IT firms have set up shop in
The PBD event would serve as a platform to present the state’s offerings to the global community. Additionally, the eastern state has long-standing naval ties to Southeast Asia. Traders, priests, and tourists from Odisha have traveled to distant locations in Southeast Asia in the past. These strong cultural links are demonstrated by the Bali Yatra and Odisha’s ties to Sri Lanka. The PBD conference will shed light on these historical expeditions and the current initiatives to bring them back to life. The PBD festivities in Bhubaneshwar, which take place from January 8 to January 10, will highlight the accomplishments of the Indian diaspora overseas, as they do each year.
Additionally, to highlight the achievements of the Indian diaspora and how they served as a means of promoting Indian culture, values, and ethos outside, exhibitions on the Ramayana, technology, and diaspora are being planned. The Ramayana display will explain how the epic made its way to South-East Asian nations, where it continues to be a popular destination for both domestic and international travelers. Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the concept of “Purvodaya” in 2015 when he dedicated an Indian Oil Corporation Limited refinery in Paradip, Odisha.
