"Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award a call to stay connected to roots": Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], January 10 (ANI): Ravi Kumar, CEO of Cognizant, emphasised the significance of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award and highlighting the achievements of the Indian diaspora, he described it as both a recognition of their accomplishments and a call to stay connected to their roots.
Kumar also underlined the important role the diaspora can play in India's journey towards becoming a 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047, creating a bridge between India and the world while contributing to the country's economic and geopolitical growth.
Notably, Ravi Kumar will be awarded by President Droupadi Murmu, along with 27 others. The birthplace of Ravikumar is Odisha and he works as the CEO of Cognizant.
While speaking with ANI, Kumar said, "The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, which is given by the Government of India to Non Resident Indians is a big honour for Indians living abroad. This year, there are around 27 awardees and they come from a diverse set of fields -- technology, business, art, culture and a variety of professions. It is a call for all the awardees to stay connected to the roots."
He added, "Indians abroad have been very accomplished and have done significantly well. So, it's a unique opportunity for Indians abroad to contribute to the growth story of India. In the last 10-15 years, India's role in the global stage, both economically and geo-politically has been very strong. So Indians abroad can actually contribute significantly to the growth story in a diverse set of fields. That's why, this is a very exciting opportunity for Indians who live abroad but have their roots in India."
On being asked on how the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award will be helpful to the Indian economy, he said, "If you look at the theme of this year's conference, it's about how the diaspora can play a role in Viksit Bharat. Viksit Bharat is about making India a developed nation by 2047, which is 100 years of India's independence. Indians abroad have been significantly accomplished. So the ability to stay connected, the ability to contribute back and create a bridge between the world and India is what Indians can do."
He further said that these awards in some ways are motivation for all the 35 million Indians living abroad to "make a difference in the country, make a difference to the world, make a difference to the country where they live today."
Born in Odisha, Ravi Kumar was appointed CEO of Cognizant in January 2023. Prior to Cognizant, Ravi served as President of Infosys from 2016 to 2022. The early part of his career was spent as a nuclear scientist at the Bhabha Atomic Research Center of India.
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)