नवीनतम
PM Modi flags off Pravasi Bharatiya Express
BHUBANESWAR [Maha Media]: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday remotely flagged off the Pravasi Bharatiya Express, a special tourist train for the diaspora.
The train started its three-week journey from the Nizamuddin railway station in Delhi.
Addressing the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention in Bhubaneswar, Modi said India is not only the mother of democracy, but democracy is a part of people's lives here.
He said the world today listens to India, which not only presents its own views strongly but also those of the Global South.
"Due to the strength of its heritage, India is able to tell the world that the future does not lie in war, but in Buddha (peace)," he said.
Modi said he has always considered the diaspora as India's ambassador to the countries they live in.
"We consider it our responsibility to help our diaspora during crisis situations no matter where they are," he said.
The PM said the diaspora played a major role in Independence in 1947, and sought their help to make India a developed country by 2047.
He said India is not only a young country but also a country of skilled youths.
"The government is trying to ensure that whenever Indian youths go abroad, they go with skills," Modi said, noting the demand for skilled workers across the world.
He said G20 meetings were organised in various parts of the country to give the world a first-hand experience of India's diversity.
"We don't need to learn diversity because our lives run through diversity," he added.
The 18th PBD is being jointly organised by the ministry of external affairs and the Odisha government from January 8 to January 10. The theme of the convention is 'Diaspora’s Contribution to a Viksit Bharat.'
The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention is the flagship event of the Central Government that provides an important platform to connect and engage with the Indian diaspora and enable them to interact with each other.
The theme of this year’s Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention is ‘Diaspora’s Contribution to a Viksit Bharat’. A large number of Indian diaspora members from several countries are participating in the Convention. Several Union Ministers including Dr S Jaishankar, Ashwini Baishnaw, Jual Oram and Chief Minister of Odisha Mohan Charan Majhi will be attending the Convention today.
The travel destinations of the Pravasi Bharatiya Express include Ayodhya, Patna, Gaya, Varanasi, Mahabalipuram, Rameswaram, Madurai, Kochi, Goa, Ekta Nagar (Kevadia), Ajmer, Pushkar, and Agra.
This three-week-long tour is being organised to connect the Indian diaspora to their roots under the Ministry of External Affairs ‘Pravasi Teerth Darshan Yojana’ (PTDY) scheme, in collaboration with the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
