"Moment of Pride": Odia leaders express delight on Pravasi Bharatiya Divas taking place in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], January 9 (ANI): Leading Odia politicians have expressed delight over the 18th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas taking place in Odisha this year. The leaders noted that the event will bring in more investments into the state and help develop sectors like tourism along with nurturing relations with the diaspora.
BJP MP from Bhubaneswar, Aparajita Sarangi told ANI, "I am really delighted as a member of parliament representing Bhubaneswar constituency in the Lok Sabha that my city, my state has been selected by the Ministry of External Affairs and by Honorable Prime Minister for hosting the 18th Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas."

She added, "This (event) will definitely enrich the diaspora and enrich Odisha too, because they have come back to their roots. I can say with all conviction at my command that the economy of the state will definitely grow in the days to come".
Odisha Assembly Speaker, Surama Padhy told ANI, "Odisha is a land full of opportunities and wealth. The land, water, forest, everything is in Odisha. Odisha is definitely going to benefit from this event. Odisha is moving towards the path of development and thus we have given a call to the diaspora to make use of the opportunity and take the state ahead. It is a moment of pride that Odisha has been selected for this event by the Prime Minister".

Speaking about the call for Viksit Bharat, Surama Padhy said that a Viksit India will lead to Viksit Odisha with the aid of Pravasi Bharatiyas. She said that thus under PM's idea of Purvodaya, Odisha will emerge as the centre of East India.
KV Singh Deo, Deputy CM of Odisha spoke to ANI, noting that the delegates are "upbeat about not only the arrangements that have been made but also very optimistic about bringing in their investments to Odisha".

He said, "See if investments come to Odisha, definitely the people of Odisha are going to get benefited because there will be creation of jobs, there is going to be creation of opportunities for the people of the state. Odisha's art, culture, and heritage, have always been the core strength, which has not been marketed properly amongst foreigners. If tourism develops in Odisha, if infrastructure is created for the development of tourism, definitely Odisha is going to benefit from that."
The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention is the flagship event of the Government of India that provides an important platform to connect and engage with the Indian diaspora and enable them to interact with each other. The 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention is being organized in partnership with the State Government of Odisha from January 8 to 10 in Bhubaneswar.
The theme of this PBD Convention is "Diaspora's Contribution to a Viksit Bharat." A large number of Indian diaspora members from over 50 different countries have registered to participate in the PBD Convention. (ANI)