January 9, 2017
Embassy of India Washington DC celebrated Pravasi Bhartiya Divas on January 9, 2017. The event was attended by a large number of guests from the Indian-American community, including representatives from business, politics, administration, professionals, media, etc,. Welcoming the guests, Ambassador Sarna extended his warm greetings to the audience on this proud occasion that commemorates the return of the one of the greatest Pravasis - Mahatma Gandhi and celebrates the success and contributions of Overseas Indians to the countries they call home while yet retaining their connect with India. The video message of the Hon'ble Prime Minister on the occasion was shared with the gathering. The programme included a panel discussion on the subject "Indian Diaspora - Past trends and way forward". The panelists were Mr. Manpreet Anand Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Mr. Puneet Ahluwalia,10th district Representative on the Virginia Republican State Central Committee, Ms. Sonal Shah, an economist and entrepreneur who is the founding executive director of the Beeck Center for Social Impact & Innovation at Georgetown University and Ms. Suhag Shukla, Esq., Executive Director and Legal Counsel and co-founder of Hindu-American Foundation (HAF). The discussion saw enthusiastic participation from the audience in the Q&A session.
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