Large delegation of Indian expats from Qatar participates in 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

Published: 14 January 2025

NT Bureau
Doha

Indian community in Qatar formed one of the largest contingents, with over 200 participants, at the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention (PBD) 2025, held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, from 8 to 10 Janu-ary 2025, the Indian embassy has said.

Under the theme “Diaspora’s Contribution to a Viksit Bharat”, the event celebrated the invaluable contributions of the Indian diaspora and provided a platform for discussing the role of Indian diaspora in building developed India.

“The Indian community in Qatar participated enthusiastically, with around 200 delegates. Their pres-ence underscored the strong ties between India and Qatar’s vibrant Indian diaspora. The Qatar dele-gation interacted with Shri. Kirti Vardhan Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs and Shri. Dhar-mendra Pradhan, Minister of Education on various issues such as business to business ties and close cultural connect between two countries. Many delegates also travelled to Konark, Puri and witnessed the rich culture and tourist sites of Odisha,” the embassy said.

Indian Cultural Centre (ICC), Indian Community Benevolent Forum (ICBF) and Indian Business and Pro-fessionals Council (IBPC) coordinated the participation of the delegation from Qatar together with the Embassy.

This was the first PBD to be held in Eastern India. The event witnessed vibrant participation from members of the Indian diaspora from over 75 countries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated PBD 2025. Prime Minister in his address, urged the Indian diaspora to contribute towards the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047.

The valedictory session was presided over by President Droupadi Murmu. President conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards on 27 individuals from 24 countries.