Bengaluru, the IT-BT capital of the country,  is all set to host the 2017 Bharatiya Pravasi Divas. The event is scheduled to be held on February 7, 8 and 9 of 2017.

The Ministry of External Affairs held a meeting with Tourism Minister R V Deshpande for a preliminiary round of talks regarding the event.

The minister for Tourism, R V Deshpande said that, "The Bharatiya Pravasi Divas, scheduled to be hosted from February 7 to February 9, will see close to 3000 Non-Residential Indians (NRI) and PIO delegates from across the world."

The venue for the event is still not finalized. It depends on the infrastructure availability in and around the place. "We are looking at two or three locations in the City, but the final call will be taken later," he said.

"An expert committee has been constituted to oversee the preparations. More than 3,000 delegates from various countries will be invited. The event will showcase the rich cultural diversity of the nation through a variety of cultural programmes, exhibitions and other events," the minister said.

Prime minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate the event and a prize distribution ceremony for NRIs will also be take place during the event. Around 30 awards will be distributed to NRIs for their contribution in growth of the country.

This will be the 15th Bharatiya Pravasi Divas, aims to interact with representatives of the 30 million  PIOs and NRIs across  the world.

DM Mulay, additional secretary overseas Indian Affairs and CPV  said that, "The event is scheduled to have interactive sessions between the Centre and state to identify and resolve issues that NRIs face."

Also read: NRIs aim to bring back lost artefacts of India