The Hindu Business Line : Pravasi Bhartiya Divas to be held in Mumbai from Jan 7

Mr S. Krishna Kumar (left), Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, and Mr Vivek Bharati, Advisor, FICCI & Member, Organising Committee Pravasi Bhartiya Divas 2005, at a press conference in Mumbai on Tuesday. — Shashi Ashiwal

Mumbai , Nov. 30

BANGLADESH, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal have not been included for country representations in the third Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) programme on account of political concerns in the South Asian region, said Mr S. Krishna Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs.

He was speaking at a press conference held to announce the agenda and tentative programme for the third PBD.

The event will be held in Mumbai for the first time from January 7 to 9. The venues for this gathering will be the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) and the Admiral S N Kohli Stadium, Navy Nagar.

Plenary sessions will be held with the Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, and other ministers while sectoral issues will also be discussed relating to education, healthcare, finance, culture and tourism and other areas.

Mr Kumar added that 600 delegates from nearly 53 countries have already confirmed their participation. Most delegates are likely to be associated with business as in the past over 70 - 75 per cent participants were related to business.

"This year the number of delegates might touch record numbers," he said. The first programme had 1,750 registrations while the second had 1,350 registrations.

He also added, "The interaction will be devoted more to listening the Indian Diaspora's point of view and not mere infliction on what the Government and other agencies have to say."

The date of the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas has been chosen as January 9, as it was this date in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi had finally returned to India after almost two decades in South Africa.