Bhubaneswar: President Droupadi Murmu arrived in Bhubaneswar on Thursday evening to attend the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention being held in Odisha capital.
Soon after arrival at the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) by a special IAF aircraft, Murmu was accorded a warm welcome by Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and other dignitaries.
From the airport, the President proceeded to Raj Bhavan where she is slated to spend the night.
As per official sources, the President is scheduled to attend the valedictory session of the three-day PBD convention on Friday and confer ‘Pravasi Bharatiya Samman’ awards on Indian diaspora for exceptional work in their fields in India and abroad.
The Ministry of External Affairs has already announced the names of the awardees for this year.
The awardees, who “represent the excellence achieved by our diaspora in various fields”, include among others Baroness Usha Kumari Prashar from the UK (in the field of politics), Dr Sharmila Ford from the US for community service. There are a couple of institutions as well who will be given the award, the Ministry has said.
The names for the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) 2025 were recommended by a Jury-cum-Awards Committee. The PBSA is the highest honour conferred on overseas Indians.
The award is conferred by the President as part of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention on Non-Resident Indians, Persons of Indian Origin or an organisation or institution established and run by the Non-Resident Indians or Persons of Indian Origin in “recognition of their outstanding achievements both in India and abroad,” the MEA said in a statement.
The 18th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention is being held from January 8-10 in Bhubaneswar.
The mega event, which kicked off at Janata Maidan in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday, was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
PBD commemorates Mahatma Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa on January 9, 1915. This year’s theme is ‘Diaspora’s contribution to a Viksit Bharat’.
