New Delhi: Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali today arrived at Delhi Airport for a seven-day visit to India starting from January 8.

During his visit, he will travel to six cities - Delhi, Indore, Bengaluru, Kanpur, Agra and Mumbai and also participate in the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention being organized at Madhya Pradesh's Indore.

Mohamed Irfaan Ali is the Chief Guest at the 17th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas scheduled to be held in Madhya Pradesh's Indore from January 8-10.

He will travel to Indore on January 8 to attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, according to the media advisory issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.

Mohamed Irfaan Ali will hold a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on January 8. On 9 January, Mohamed Irfaan Ali will attend the inaugural session of the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention 2023, as per the media advisory.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention, which will feature Mohamed Irfaan Ali's address. Furthermore, Special Guest of Honour, Suriname President Chandrikapersad Santokhi will also make an address at the 17th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention.

Mohamed Irfaan Ali will also hold a meeting with PM Narendra Modi on January 9. He will hold a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu on January 10. On the same day, he will attend the valedictory session and the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Samman awards ceremony.

On January 11, Mohamed Irfaan Ali will attend the programme in Indore. After concluding his visit to Indore, Guyana's President is scheduled to travel to Agra, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kanpur and Mumbai to attend various programmes on January 12-13. Mohamed Irfaan Ali will depart from Mumbai on January 14.

Notably, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention provides an important platform to connect with overseas Indians and to enable the diaspora to interact with each other. The theme of PBD Convention 2023 is "Diaspora: Reliable partners for India's progress in Amrit Kaal." More than 3,500 diaspora members from 70 countries have registered for the PBD Convention.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention will have three segments. During the event, a Commemorative Postal Stamp 'Surakshit Jaayen, Prashikshit Jaayen' will be released to highlight the importance of safe, legal, orderly and skilled migration, the Ministry of External Affairs said in the press release.

PM Modi will inaugurate the first-ever digital Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Exhibition on the theme "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav - Contribution of Diaspora in Indian Freedom Struggle" to showcase the contribution of diaspora freedom fighters in India's Independence. A special town hall is scheduled to be held in view of India's ongoing presidency of the G20 on January 9.

The PBD Convention will have five thematic Plenary sessions and all the plenary sessions will feature panel discussions. First Plenary is scheduled to be held on 'Role of Diaspora Youth in Innovations and new Technologies', chaired by Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports, Anurag Singh Thakur, as per the press release.

The second Plenary will be held on 'Role of Indian Diaspora in promoting Indian Healthcare Eco-system in Amrit Kaal: Vision @2047', chaired by Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Mansukh Mandaviya and co-chaired by Minister of State for External Affairs, Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh.

In the press release, the Ministry of External Affairs said that the third Plenary is due to be held on 'Leveraging the soft power of India - Goodwill through craft, cuisine & creativity', chaired by Minister of State for External Affairs, Meenakashi Lekhi.

The fourth Plenary is scheduled to be held on 'Enabling global mobility of Indian workforce - Role of Indian Diaspora', chaired by Union Minister of Education, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan.

Fifth Plenary on 'Harnessing the potential of diaspora entrepreneurs towards an inclusive approach to nation building', chaired by Union Minister of Finance, Nirmala Sitharaman, as per the press release.

Notably, the PBD convention is being organised in person after a gap of four years and the first after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 16th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was conducted in a virtual format.