Indian consulate in Sydney holds Pravasi Bhartia Divas

The event was well attended with over 50 eminent members from Indian community from wide cross-section of society and different fields including local government, business, academia, media and community associations, participating in the event.

In his opening remark, Acting Consul General Dr Vinod Bahade (ACG) highlighted the contribution of the growing  Indian community in Australia which was not only recognised and respected but also considered to be a partner in building a multicultural Australia.

ACG made presentation on various GoI Flagship Programme including Make in India, Digital India, Smart Cities Mission, National Mission for Clean Ganga and Swachh Bharat Mission. ACG said that these initiatives provided a unique opportunity to the members of Indian diaspora to contribute in different capacities in the social and economic development of India.

 Neville Roach AO, the first Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awardee from Australia also spoke on the occasion and encouraged the members to attend PBD in India. He shared his thoughts on various avenues available for contribution by Indian diaspora including India Development Foundation of Overseas Indians (IDF-OI).

This was followed by an active participatory interaction among the attendees presenting what they could offer by way of expertise and other suggestions.

The event concluded with the screening of a video of ‘India Connect’ Initiatives of OIFC - a platform for economic and knowledge engagement of Indian diaspora with India.