Why in news:

• Darshan Singh Dhaliwal, a US-based businessman and a philanthropist, has been awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman.

Key Points:

• Pravasi Bharatiya Samman is the highest honour given by the Indian government to its settlers in foreign countries.
• Darshan Singh Dhaliwal, who hails from Patiala, was conferred the award during the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas being held in Madhya Pradesh's Indore city. The 17th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.
• Dhaliwal is a well known personality, known for his philanthropy works both in India and abroad. Recently, an incident had grabbed public eye-balls when he was denied permission to enter India during the farmers’ protest against the now-repealed three farm laws introduced by the centre government.
• As part of his contribution, he was running a ‘langar’ at the Delhi border, where lakhs of farmers from across the country were protesting, but had to return to the US after the denial of permission to enter the country by the centre government.

Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards

• An important aspect of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards. The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards are a prestigious honor bestowed upon non-resident Indians (NRIs) and people of Indian origin (PIOs) who have made significant contributions in their respective fields and while doing so, have also promoted India’s interests in the international arena.
• The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards are presented every year on January 9th, which is celebrated as the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (Indian Diaspora Day) in India. The awards were initiated in 2003 by the Government of India to recognize the achievements and contributions of NRIs and PIOs in various fields such as education, science and technology, arts and culture, social work, public service, trade and industry, and philanthropy.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

• Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, also known as Non-Resident Indian Day, is an annual event celebrated on January 9th to mark the contribution and achievements of the overseas Indian community to the development of India.
• The day also commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of India's independence movement, from South Africa to India in 1915, which marked the beginning of a new phase in India's struggle for freedom from the Britishers.
• Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, was first celebrated in 2003 and has since become an important platform for the Government of India to engage with the overseas Indian community and to showcase the achievements and progress of the country.