Pravasi Bharat Divas: PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention in Odisha’s Bhubneshwar where he said that he has always considered the diaspora as India’s ambassador.
P Modi said that due to the strength of its heritage, India is able to tell the world that the future does not lie in war, but in Buddha.
“Friends, we give great importance to your convenience and comfort. Your safety and welfare are our top priority. We consider it our responsibility to help our diaspora during crisis situations, no matter where they are. This is one of the guiding principles of India’s foreign policy today,” he said.
#WATCH | 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Odisa | PM Modi says, “Friends, we give great importance to your convenience and comfort. Your safety and welfare are our top priority. We consider it our responsibility to help our diaspora during crisis situations, no matter where they… pic.twitter.com/8fAiWpg14K
— ANI (@ANI) January 9, 2025
PM Modi also flagged off the Pravasi Bharatiya Express, a special tourist train for the diaspora, that began its three-week journey from the Nizamuddin railway station in Delhi on Thursday. The train will travel to multiple destinations of tourism and religious importance across India.
#WATCH | 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas | PM Narendra Modi in Bhubaneswar today flagged off the inaugural journey of the Pravasi Bharatiya Express, a special Tourist Train for the Indian diaspora
Video source: Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw/X pic.twitter.com/Z1p0DXF1vI
— ANI (@ANI) January 9, 2025
All About Pravasi Bharatiya Express Train
The Pravasi Bharatiya Express is a special state-of-the-art tourist train which is exclusively designed and built for the Indian diaspora in the age group between 45 and 65 years. It can accommodate 156 passengers. The government has chosen January 9 to flag off the train to commemorate the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India on this date in 1915, the Indian embassy of Switzerland’s website read.
The travel destinations of the Pravasi Bharatiya Express include Ayodhya, Patna, Gaya, Varanasi, Mahabalipuram, Rameswaram, Madurai, Kochi, Goa, Ekta Nagar (Kevadia), Ajmer, Pushkar, and Agra.
This three-week-long tour is being organised to connect the Indian diaspora to their roots under the Ministry of External Affairs ‘Pravasi Teerth Darshan Yojana’ (PTDY) scheme, in collaboration with the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
