Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Odisha on January 8 for the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Bhubaneswar. This is his first visit to the state in 2025. 

As per the schedule, PM Modi will reach Bhubaneswar airport by a special IAF aircraft at 8 pm on January 8 from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. He will have a night halt at Raj Bhawan, Bhubaneswar. 

Next day on January 9, the PM will head for the venue at Janata Maidan at 9.45 am to attend the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention. He is scheduled to reach there at 9.55 am. 

He will attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention-2025 at 10 am. After 90-min stay, he will leave for Bhubaneswar airport to return to Delhi at 11.35 am. 

His flight is scheduled to depart from Bhubaneswar airport at 11.55 am and reach Delhi airport at 2.20 pm. 

The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated to commemorate the arrival of Mahatma Gandhi to India from South Africa on January 9, 1915. The tradition of celebrating the event started in 2003. The first convention was organised on January 9, 2003 to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community to the development of India. 

Since 2015, under a revised format, the NRI event is being held once in every two years to strengthen the engagement of the overseas Indian community with the Government of India and reconnect them with their cultural roots.

The 18th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is scheduled to be held at Janata Maidan in Bhubaneswar from 8th-10th January, 2025, with the theme "Diaspora's Contribution to a Viksit Bharat". 

Odisha Government has released control room numbers and a helpline number for the forthcoming event in Bhubaneswar. 

The Commissionerate Police has launched a special police mascot, named HAPFY, and a chatbot for the biennial mega event.

As many as 40 platoons of police personnel will be deployed across the city for the smooth organization of the NRI convention. Apart from this, around a 100 Pravasi Mitra (volunteers) will be engaged for traffic management in the capital city during the mega event.