New Delhi: To keep its bond alive with the vast Indian diaspora, the country would be hosting the third Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the annual gathering of the Indians settled abroad, in Mumbai from Jan 7, 2005.

Overseas Indians and NRIs from nearly 70 countries are expected to attend the three-day function, which would be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Organised by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs in close cooperation with the FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry), the event would be addressed by senior Cabinet Ministers, including Finance Minister P Chidambaram and External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

President A P J Abdul Kalam would confer the 'Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards' on Jan 9, 2004.

Giving details of the functions, Minister of State for Overseas Indian Affairs Jagdish Tytler said, the Government would utilise the function to elicit the suggestions of the delegates and "prepare a concrete action plan to strengthen the partnership between India and its diaspora".

Each year, Jan 9, 2004 is celebrated as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas as it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa.