A mini Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, a Diaspora conclave, is set to be held in New York on September 23 the first such meet outside India and will be inaugurated by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
The event is being organised by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) as part of "Incredible India @ 60", a mega festival celebrating 60 years of the county's independence.
Around 500 people of Indian origin from the US, Canada and the Caribbean are expected to participate, according to CII-US estimates.
The conclave here aims to draw a blueprint for the participation of the Indian Diaspora in the North American region in India's development.
Titled "Engaging the Diaspora: The way forward", the daylong conference will have three plenary sessions - on education, infrastructure development and investment.
Speakers at the meet include Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi, India's Ambassador to Washington Ronen Sen, CII President Sunil Bharti Mittal, co-chairman of Infosys Nandan M Nilekani, chairman of India's National Knowledge Commission Sam Pitroda and Thomas Abraham, chairman of the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin - GOPIO International.
The conference will conclude with a specially choreographed production of music and Indian classical dance at the Lincoln Centre.
{{/usCountry}}The conference will conclude with a specially choreographed production of music and Indian classical dance at the Lincoln Centre.
{{/usCountry}}The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was instituted by the Indian government in 2003 to bring the expertise and knowledge of the Indian overseas community to India and integrating it into the country's development process.
The fifth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was held in January 2007 in New Delhi, which is also the venue for the 2008 edition of the event.