At a press meet at the India Community Center in Milpitas, Calif., are (l-r) Consul (CIC), Consulate General of India, San Francisco, K. Venkata Ramana; Consul General of India, San Francisco, Ambassador Venkatesan Ashok; Deputy Consul General of India, San Francisco, Dr. K.J. Srinivasa; and Consul & Head of Chancery, Consulate General of India, San Francisco, Debabrata Chattopadhyay.

The 2015 Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention will be held in Los Angeles, Nov. 14 -15. The event strives to connect the Indian diaspora here in U.S. with India, bringing their knowledge, expertise and skills together. The objective of the convention is to provide a platform for the Indian community in U.S. to contribute to the relationship between the two countries, and explore ways to give back to the mother country. The members of the Indian community will have opportunity to convey their concerns and aspirations to the Government of India.

The Consul General of India, San Francisco, Ambassador Venkatesan Ashok recently announced details of the forthcoming “Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas” to be held Nov. 14-15, in Los Angeles.

The Government of India through the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) attempts to connect the Indian Diaspora with India, bringing their knowledge, expertise, and skills together. It is being organized to allow participation of the Indian diaspora who are unable to attend the annual Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, held in India. The convention will be the ninth such conference held outside India. So far, eight such Regional PBDs have been held in New York, Singapore, The Hague, Dubai, Toronto, Mauritius, Sydney and London. The venue for the event is the Hotel Westin Bonaventure, in downtown Los Angeles.

India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and other high level dignitaries from both Indian and U.S., CEOs of major U.S. corporations, Indian business leaders, noted achievers from the Indian diaspora, celebrities, etc. would attend the event. Approximately 1,000 NRIs are also expected to attend.

This conference will comprise of three plenary sessions on diaspora issues, role of culture and youth, Government of India schemes on Clean Ganga, Smart Cities, Skill Development, Infrastructure Development, Waste Management and Clean India, Renewable Energy and Digital India. Further, there will be sessions on Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Education, Skills & Vocational Training; Manufacturing and Make in India, Bilateral Business opportunities in various fields; and use of Soft power, Culture and Bollywood Hollywood Connect.

Consul General of India, San Francisco, Ambassador Venkatesan Ashok talks to media as Deputy Consul General of India, San Francisco, Dr. K.J. Srinivasa looks on.
Consul General of India, San Francisco, Ambassador Venkatesan Ashok talks to media as Deputy Consul General of India, San Francisco, Dr. K.J. Srinivasa looks on.

Indian Diaspora Business meetings are being organized by Overseas Indian Facilitation Center (OIFC) (a not-for-profit set up by MOIA in partnership with Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), for sustained economic and knowledge engagement of the Overseas Indians with India), Nov. 14, which will focus on specific sectors including Digital India, Renewable Energy and Investments in Social Impact Enterprises in India, and include B2B and B2G meetings with Indian officials and business delegations.

The opening ceremony of RPBD will be held Nov. 14 evening at 6 pm.  On Nov. 15, the RPBD will be held comprising plenaries in the morning and afternoon. The closing ceremony would be held at 6 PM on Nov. 15. A cultural program will be followed by a gala dinner hosted in honor of the External Affairs Minister of India.

For further details, please visit the RPBD website at www.RPBDLA.org.

Registration for the event:  Interested readers can register by visiting the www.RPBDLA.org. The tickets are nominally priced and the ticket holders will have full access to all the events on both the days. The community members may take advantage of Early Bird Pricing, while couples can attend at reduced price. Students have also been given 50% concession with the idea of encouraging their large-scale participation in the event.

Sponsorship for the event: The Community organizations/member(s) are being welcomed to contribute generously for the success of this event. The donation levels are: Diamond – $50,000, Platinum – $35,000, Gold – $25,000, Silver – $15,000, and Bronze – $5,000.

Sponsors will be suitably recognized for their contributions. They will be suitably recognized by giving an opportunity to be seated at the ‘Head Table’ during the dinner, along with the Minister. Further, their names, photographs and brief descriptions would also be mentioned on the website of RPBD and in the souvenir.

The Indian Consulate requests the participation of members of all communities/regions/religions in North America to participate and contribute to making the event a grand success.