President Pranab Mukherjee, PM Manmohan Singh to attend Pravasi Bharatiya Divas meet

KOCHI: Preparations are almost complete for the smooth conduct of the three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, which will be attended by President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The PBD is beginning tomorrow with a seminar on NRIs in the Gulf, officials said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is arriving here tomorrow, will formally inaugurate the event on January 8 by releasing a stamp on the Gadar movement, a saga of courage, valour and determination of overseas Indians who had gone to Canada and the US either for higher education or for economic opportunities. They became trail blazers of the freedom struggle.

He will also release two publications of Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs.

Besides Singh, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Mauritius President Rajkeswur Purryag will be among those addressing the inaugural session.

Over 2,000 delegates from 44 countries are likely to participate in the meet which will commence with a Gulf session tomorrow to discuss the issues being faced by Keralites in the Gulf region.

A host of Union Ministers led by External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, Kamalnath, Anand Sharma and Shashi Tharoor will address the sessions. Chief Ministers of six states will also attend.

The PBD oration on January 8 has also been dedicated to the 'Gadar Movement'.

President Pranab Mukherjee will address the valedictory function on January 9 and present Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards.

The theme of the conference is 'Engaging Diaspora: The Indian Growth Story'.