(Trinidad Guardian) A leading Indian newspaper is reporting that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar will pay a visit to the village in India where her ancestors lived during her official trip to the country, which starts this week. In an article published yesterday, the Times of India reported that Persad-Bissessar’s trip to India would include a visit to Bhelupur village in Buxar district from where her ancestors had migrated to Trinidad. The Prime Minister will visit the village on January 11 “in search of her roots,” according to the newspaper. “Her ancestors are said to have migrated as Girmitiya labourers to Trinidad and Tobago, then a British colony in the Caribbean islands over a century ago,” according to the newspaper.
Persad-Bissessar is also due to meet some of her relatives during her visit, including a man named Hari Shankar Tiwary, who claims that he is related to her. The Times of India reported: “Buxar sub-divisional magistrate Nishitha Verma said that the district authorities are making full preparations to welcome her and provide all possible comfort and facilities. “The road to the village is being repaired and a helipad is being prepared for the landing of her chopper.” Meanwhile, a release on Friday from the Office of the Prime Minister indicated that Persad-Bissessar begins her journey to India, where she will be an official guest of the government there, tomorrow. She will also hold high delegation level talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday, which will be followed by a state banquet in her honour in New Delhi.
During the trip, Persad-Bissessar will be the chief guest at the annual Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) event in Jaipur, which recognises non-resident Indians (NRIs) globally. The PBD is a prolific gathering of overseas Indians of global repute who are highly successful in their respective fields of business, trade, medicine, science and technology. Approximately 1,500 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.
Included in the PBD programme 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 T&The Prime Minister’s delegation includes about 60?T’s tourism industry. ministers, technocrats, state enterprise directors and other members of the private sector.
