PBD is a biennale event, held on January 9th, commemorating the day in 1915 when Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa.

Indian Diaspora

• About: It is a generic term for addressing people who have migrated from the territories that are currently within the borders of the Republic of India. 
• Includes: Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI).
  • PIO and OCI card holders were merged under one category — OCI — in 2015.
• Status of Indian Diaspora: Approximately 35.42 million, which includes about 15.85 million non-resident Indians (NRIs) (May 2024)
  • The USA is home to the largest number totalling 5.4 million people. 

Major Contribution of Indian Diaspora

• Economic: Foreign remittances from the Indian Diaspora are significant for socio-economic development especially in rural areas. 
• Knowledge Transfer: Technical knowledge transfers and finances from diaspora boost India’s domestic entrepreneurial ecosystem. 
  • Help create trust with foreign investors attracting FDI.
• Diplomacy: Their sizeable presence in South Asia, West Asia present an opportunity to nurture a growing, mutual relationship and positively shape India’s global image.
• Promoting Indian Culture: Fostering culture exchanges, building India’s soft power, through popularising Indian music, cuisine, spirituality, etc.