Launched by: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Key feature:
- Under this new scheme, a group of Indian diaspora will be taken on a tour of religious places in India twice a year, which will be sponsored by the government.
- People of Indian-origin, whose age is between 45 and 65 can avail these benefits.
- The first batch of 40 Indian-origin people participated at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas which was held in Varanasi.
- The first preference will be given to the people from Girmitiya countries such as Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica.
Other Details:
- Girmityas: People who are descendants of indentured Indian labourers are called Girmityas, brought to Fiji, Mauritius, East Africa, , South Africa, the Malay Peninsula, Caribbean and South America for working on sugarcane plantations. Countries, where these Indian labourers settled, are known as Girmitiya countries.
- Mahatma Gandhi referred himself as first Girmitiya, coined the term.
15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
- 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention was organized from 21st January to 23rd January 2019 instead of 9th January and was held at Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
- The theme for Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: "Role of Indian Diaspora in building a New India.”
- Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth was the chief guest of this event.
