India: Largest expatriate delegation from UAE to attend expatriate congress – News

Government of India’s flagship event to see over 700 people as part of delegation

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The 17th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) will welcome a huge delegation of around 750 Indian expats from the UAE to Indore, India, making it the largest delegation from any foreign country.

The Government of India’s flagship event to connect with the Indian diaspora will also feature a contingent of around 200 students from the UAE, the first time students from the UAE will be participating.

Blue-collar workers, women members, businessmen, philanthropists and other community members from various forums in the UAE will also be part of the delegation at the event, which will take place from 8-10 January 2023.

Dr Aman Puri, Consul General of India in Dubai, said: “Some community members supported the delegation to Indore for PBD in January. We are delighted that the largest delegation outside India is from the UAE. Indian community with a population of nearly 3.3 million. We are also very pleased that in this delegation we will have a very strong student body, young Indians will be connected with the socio-economic transformation of India, will focus on the economic transformation of India, Focus on India’s economic transformation how the country is transforming and how they can play a role in the future of the country.”

He added: “We also have a very large delegation of brothers and sisters from the blue collar community and we are very pleased that they will be part of a very diverse delegation including female members. We have Indian women in Dubai supporting this representation Mission, and of course outstanding Indian community members such as entrepreneurs and philanthropists who have been very generous in their support. We would also like to thank all the Indian associations for bringing everyone together and ensuring that this is the largest delegation possible.”

During the Congress, selected Indians living abroad also received the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award for their contributions in various fields in India and abroad.

Ram Buxani, a longtime community member and Indian businessman in Dubai, said: “During the discussion with CG the other day, we thought why not involve the school students because students from KG to 12 usually end up going to western countries to receive Higher education. Not many of them came back to India. So, our culture didn’t survive. We have a lot of schools in our range, so we thought why not send these students to India for this event. The response has been very positive. Other schools Stand up too. We have to sell to the next generation the idea of ​​what our country has to offer.”

Punit MK Vasu, Chief Executive Officer, Indian High Schools Group, said, “Our students will benefit greatly from group discussions on different youth-centred themes and interact with Indian students in India and around the world. Our students will gain unique insights to better understand the strengths of the Indian diaspora and will certainly be inspired by the contributions, investments and technological innovations made by Indian communities working together despite living in different parts of the world.”

Adnan Athar, Year 11 student at DPS Dubai, who was chosen to be part of the delegation, said: “We were all a little bit clueless about how India works because we all lived here, but it was great to have the opportunity to go to India and see what’s going on there. how it was and met many celebrities including the minister.”

Gunbir, another student from GEMS New Millenium, said: “I feel very good about being selected to participate in this event. It will be a new learning experience, allowing me to understand the past and future of the country I originally came from.”

Jitendra Vaidya, Chairman of the Indian People’s Forum (IPF), sheds light on how the event has become a platform to engage with the Indian diaspora, saying, “We offer a very reasonable package that includes registration, Sharjah-Mumbai flights (round trip and quad), deluxe Bus, hotel accommodation. All within Dh1,500. We are hosting the largest delegation ever, which should be 750 to 800 people, of which more than 500 students have been confirmed.”

Kedaru Singh, a driver for EFS Facility Management Service, said he was happy to be part of a delegation involving blue-collar workers, noting: “I have been a driver here for the past 11 years. One. I’m glad our country’s government has created this opportunity for people like us, and my organization has chosen me for it. There were about 25 of us and all of us were very excited.”