New Delhi, Jan 5 (PTI) President of Guyana Irfaan Ali and Surinamese President Chan Santokhi will grace India's upcoming flagship diaspora conclave Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) as chief guest and special guest of honour, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Thursday.

The 17th PBD will be held in Indore from January 8 to 10. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will formally inaugurate the conclave on January 9, Ausaf Sayeed, Secretary (Overseas Indian Affairs) in the MEA, said at a media briefing.

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The PBD convention is being organised in a physical format after a gap of four years as the previous edition was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of Republic of Guyana, will be the Chief Guest at the 17th PBD while Chandrikapersad Santokhi, President of Suriname will be the special guest of honour," Sayeed said.

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"We have received enthusiastic response from the diaspora for the convention with more than 3500 registrations from 66 different countries," he added.

According to official data, Guyana has 40 per cent Indian origin people while the percentage in Surinam is around 27.

Asked about selection of US-based billionaire Darshan Singh Dhaliwal as one of the 27 recipients of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman as he was not allowed to enter India in 2021 for supporting the farmers' protest against, Sayeed said laid down procedures were followed for the award.

"The awards are given on particular criteria and the same was adopted while selecting Dhaliwal for his own contribution.

Nothing more should be attributed to it than this," he said.

Sayeed was asked why Dhaliwal had been chosen when he was asked to return after he landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in October 2021.

India has been holding PBD to connect with its diaspora community.

Sayeed said this year's PBD convention has special significance as 2023 marks the 75th year of India's independence and the glorious history of its people, culture and achievement. "This will also be the first convention in the 'Amrit Kaal'".

"In keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of building an Aatmanirbhar Bharat over the next 25 years, and important partnership role to be played by the overseas Indians, the theme of 17th PBD Convention has been chosen to be 'Diaspora: Reliable partners for India's progress in Amrit Kaal," Sayeed said.

He said ministerial level delegations are expected from a few countries, including Mauritius, Malaysia and Panama.

"We will have five plenary sessions in the PBD on the themes of Youth, Healthcare, Soft Power, Indian Workforce, and Women. Four of these sessions would be headed by a cabinet minister," Sayeed said.

"Additionally, we will have a Town Hall on the G20, where the G20 Sherpa, Amitabh Kant, as well as G20 coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla will be present," Sayeed said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)