New Delhi, Jan 3: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday announced the names of 27 awardees selected for the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) 2025 for their vital role in shaping the global landscape.

Celebrating the achievements of the Indian diaspora, the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is scheduled to take place in Odisha's Bhubaneswar from January 8–10.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, conferred by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu will be presented during the valedictory session of the momentous event.

The prestigious award recognises the exceptional contributions of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs), or organisations run by them, acknowledging their extraordinary achievements both in India and abroad.

The awardees, selected by the esteemed jury-cum-awards committee, represent the finest accomplishments of the Indian diaspora in various fields.

"The committee, chaired by the Vice-President of India, with the External Affairs Minister as Vice-Chair and other distinguished members, carefully reviewed nominations before announcing their unanimous selections," the MEA stated on Friday.

The awards highlight the significant impact of Indians living abroad and their vital role in shaping the global landscape.

"The 2025 awardees exemplify excellence and dedication across a wide range of sectors, underscoring the strength of India's global influence and the outstanding contributions of its people worldwide," the ministry stated.

This year's awardees include Ajay Rane (Australia) for his community service, Marialena Joan Fernandes (Austria, education), Philomena Ann Mohini Harris (Barbados, medical science), Swami Sanyuktanand (Fiji, community service), Saraswati Vidya Niketan (Guyana, community service), Lekh Raj Juneja (Japan, science and technology), Prem Kumar (Kyrgyz Republic, medical science), Soukthavy Chowdhury (Laos, business), Krishna Savjani (Malawi, business), 'Tan Sri' Subramaniam K.V. Sathasivam (Malaysia, politics), Sarita Boodhoo (Mauritius, community service), Abhaya Kumar (Moldova, business), Ram Niwas (Myanmar, education), Jaggannath Shekhar Asthana (Romania, business), Hindustani Samaj (Russia, community service), Sudha Rani Gupta (Russia, education), Syed Anwar Khursheed (Saudi Arabia, medical science), Atul Arvind Temurnikar (Singapore, education), Robert Masih Nahar (Spain, community service), Kaushik Laxmidas Ramaiya (Tanzania, medicine), Christine Carla Kangaloo (Trinidad and Tobago, public affairs), Ramakrishnan Sivaswamy Iyer (UAE, business), Bonthala Subbaiah Setty Ramesh Babu (Uganda, community service), Usha Kumari Prashar (UK, politics), Sharad Lakhanpal (USA, medicine), Sharmila Ford (USA, community service) and Ravi Kumar S (USA, business, IT and consulting).

--IANS

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