• President Droupadi Murmu presented the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards to 27 individuals and institutions during the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention in Bhubaneswar.

• The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award is the highest honour conferred on overseas Indians. 

• The awardees include Trinidad & Tobago President Christine Carla Kangaloo. The Trinidad & Tobago President got the award in the public affairs category.

• A committee, with Vice-President of India as the chairman and Minister of External Affairs as the vice-chairman, selected the awardees.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

• The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated on January 9 to recognise the contribution of the overseas Indian community towards the growth and development of India. 

• January 9 was chosen for PBD as it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa and led its freedom struggle.

• Theme-based PBD Conferences are held once every two years with participation from overseas diaspora experts, policy makers and stakeholders. 

• The 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention was held in partnership with the government of Odisha in Bhubaneswar from January 8-10. 

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention

• The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention is a flagship event of the government of India and provides an important platform to engage and connect with the overseas Indian diaspora. 

• The first PBD Convention was organised on January 2, 2003 to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community to the development of India.

• These conventions provide a platform to the overseas Indian community to engage with the government and people of the land of their ancestors for mutually beneficial activities. These conventions are also very useful in networking among the overseas Indian community residing in various parts of the world and enable them to share their experiences in various fields.

• Since 2015, under a revised format, PBD Convention has been organised once every two years.

• During the convention, selected overseas Indians are honoured with prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards, to recognise their contribution in various fields both in India and abroad.

• As has been the tradition over the years, the first day of the Convention was dedicated for the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Pravasi Bharatiya Divas on January 9. The chief guest was Christine Carla Kangaloo, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, who addressed the gathering virtually.

• The valedictory session of PBD 2025 was presided over by the President Droupadi Murmu. 

Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards-2025

• The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards are conferred by the President of India as part of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention on Non-Resident Indians, Persons of Indian Origin or an organisation/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 list of awardees in 2025:

1) Ajay Rane - Australia - Community Service

2) Marialena Joan Fernandes - Austria - Education

3) Dr. Philomena Ann Mohini Harris - Barbados - Medical Science

4) Swami Sanyuktanand - Fiji - Community Service

5) Saraswati Vidya Niketan - Guyana - Community Service

6) Lekh Raj Juneja - Japan - Science & Technology

7) Dr. Prem Kumar - Kyrgyz Republic - Medical Science

8) Soukthavy Chowdhury - Laos - Business

9) Krishna Savjani - Malawi - Business

10) ‘Tan Sri’ Subramaniam K.V. Sathasivam - Malaysia - Politics

11) Sarita Boodhoo - Mauritius - Community Service

12) Abhaya Kumar - Moldova - Business

13) Ram Niwas - Myanmar - Education

14) Jaggannath Shekhar Asthana - Romania - Business

15) Hindustani Samaj - Russia - Community Service

16) Sudha Rani Gupta - Russia - Education

17) Dr. Syed Anwar Khursheed - Saudi Arabia - Medical Science

18) Atul Arvind Temurnikar - Singapore - Education

19) Robert Masih Nahar - Spain - Community Service

20) Dr. Kaushik Laxmidas Ramaiya - Tanzania - Medicine

21) Christine Carla Kangaloo - Trinidad & Tobago - Public Affairs

22) Ramakrishnan Sivaswamy Iyer - UAE - Business

23) Bonthala Subbaiah Setty Ramesh Babu - Uganda - Community Service

24) Baroness Usha Kumari Prashar - UK - Politics

25) Dr. Sharad Lakhanpal - USA - Medicine

26) Sharmila Ford - USA - Community Service

27) Ravi Kumar S - USA - Business (IT & Consulting).

Manorama Yearbook app is now available on Google Play Store and iOS App Store