Press Institute Chief wins highest honour awarded to Indian Diaspora

The Government of India (GoI) has chosen Thiru Sivakumar Nadesan, Managing Director of Express Newspapers, who is also the Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI), for the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA), 2023.

The Indian High Commission issued the following statement: “PBSA is the highest honour conferred by GoI on members of the Indian diaspora. The prestigious award will be conferred by President of India, Droupadi Murmu, at the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention, in Indore, from 8-10 January, 2023.

A Jury-cum-Awards Committee, with Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar as the Chairman, and External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, as the Vice-Chair, selected Thiru Sivakumar Nadesan for the coveted honour. PBSA recognizes excellence achieved by members of the Indian diaspora, across the globe, in various fields.

Thiru Nadesan was selected for his contribution to the welfare of the community. He is the current President of the Sri Lanka chapter of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin and has been working relentlessly for community welfare. He initiated a fundraiser to assist stranded Indian Citizens in Sri Lanka during the Covid outbreak.

He actively promotes business and cultural exchanges between India and Sri Lanka and has been instrumental in inviting many Indian artistes to perform in Sri Lanka. Further, he has supported several initiatives pertaining to classical and traditional fields, such as Carnatic music in Sri Lanka. He has spoken at various PBD Conferences and was invited to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the Kumbh Mela, in 2019.

Thiru Nadesan is the second Sri Lankan national to secure the honour. It may be recalled that Thiru Mano Selvanathan was conferred PBSA in 2011 for his valuable contributions in the business sphere.”