pravasi bharatiya divas pbd or nri day is a day celebrated in india to mark the contribution of the overseas indian community to the development of india it is celebrated on january 9th every year on the same day that mahatma gandhi returned to india from south africa in 1915 the day is also meant to recognize and honor the achievements and contributions of overseas indians and to strengthen ties between india and the global indian communitypravasi bharatiya divas historypbd was first celebrated in 2003 and it has since become an annual event it is organized by the ministry of external affairs government of india in partnership with the confederation of indian industry cii and other stakeholders the event typically consists of a series of seminars panel discussions and cultural programs and it attracts a wide range of participants including policymakers business leaders academics and members of the indian diasporapravasi bharatiya divas significancethe main aim of pravasi bharatiya divas is to provide a platform for the overseas indian community to engage with the government of india and to share their experiences and expertise with the indian community it is also meant to provide an opportunity for the government to showcase indias progress and to attract investment and business from the diasporathe pravasi bharatiya divas convention typically begins with a plenary session followed by various parallel sessions on a range of topics such as business economics education healthcare science and technology and cultural issues the convention also includes a cultural program that showcases indias diverse cultural heritage and includes performances by artists from india and the diasporapravasi bharatiya samman awardone of the highlights of pravasi bharatiya divas is the pravasi bharatiya samman award which is conferred upon members of the overseas indian community for their distinguished service and contributions to their countries of residence and to india the award is presented by the president of india during the pravasi bharatiya divas conventionin addition to the convention pravasi bharatiya divas is also marked by various other events and activities organized by the government and other organizations across the country these events often include seminars workshops and cultural programs and they are meant to engage and connect the indian diaspora with the local community in india