PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – The Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago will travel to India on Monday 2nd January on a State visit as an official Guest of the Government of India at the invitation of Honourable Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India.
Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar will pay a courtesy call on the President of India, Her Excellency, Smt.Pratibha Devisingh Patil and the Vice President, His Excellency Hamid Ansari. She will also meet the Prime Minister Dr. The Honourable Manmohan Singh with whom she will hold high delegation level talks followed by a State Banquet in her honour in New Delhi on Friday 6th of January 2012, her programme will also include other high level bilateral meetings with the External Affairs Minister and other Government officials.
One of the highlights of this Mission is that Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar will be the chief guest at the annual Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) event in Jaipur, which recognizes non-resident Indians (NRIs) globally. The Prime Minister is in fact the first female head of government in the diaspora and the first dignitary from Trinidad and Tobago to be bestowed with this honour.
The PBD is an annual event sponsored by Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs of the Government of India, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Government of Rajasthan which aims to promote, nurture and sustain a mutually beneficial and symbolic relationship between India and its Diaspora.
The PBD is a prolific gathering for overseas Indians of global repute who are highly successful in their respective fields of business, trade, medicine, science and technology. Approximately 1500 attendees from over 100 countries are expected to be part of the Pravasi BhartiyaDivas experience this year. The PBD in its entirety will present a forum for business partnerships that can drastically improve the delivery of service in a number of areas locally.
Public Utilities Minister Emmanuel George has noted that Government is looking to India for their expertise in broadband Internet access and water management technologies.
Government’s major goals for 2012 include economic growth, job creation, competitiveness and innovation, which will build on objectives of greater productivity, and increased global trade. Inclusive of the PBD program will be a concurrent Trade and Industry Exhibition and a “Market Place” forum providing business networking opportunities, tools which will prove vital for fulfilling these objectives. This “Market Place” forum will open up the doors for Trinidad and Tobago to be effectively promoted to over 27 million potential clients, with special emphasis on Trinidad and Tobago’s tourism industry.
Shri Rajendra Pareek the Minister of Industries, NRI’s, and State Enterprises of Rajasthan has noted that Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is an effort to bring Indian Diaspora into one forum, representative of the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. The concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam translates into meaning that the whole world is one single family, a good description of true globalisation.
This Mission to India shows that the Prime Minister and Government is fully committed to creating opportunity for the creation of international relationships and economic activity, with countries such as India that have close diaspora ties to Trinidad and Tobago.
