IN an effort to strengthen ties with Mauritius and attract investments, the Nitish Kumar Government has proposed to set up a cell to help Mauritians of Bihar origin trace their roots in the state.
The decision comes ahead of Kumar's five-day visit to Mauritius later this month from July 27 to 31. Kumar is visiting the country on a special invitation by the Mauritian Government. The Chief Minister will attend Bihar Week celebrations there and also address the country's National Assembly. A delegation of ministers and bureaucrats will accom pany Kumar.
State Government officials said they would get in touch with the Mauritian Government to prepare a comprehensive database of people with Bihari origin in the country and help them trace their roots.
Along with strengthening ties with the Indian Ocean country, the present regime hopes to attract investments and is planning to utilise the Bihar Week celebrations in the country to showcase the state as an investment destination. The celebrations are being organised for the first time in the country by Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) in collaboration with the Mauritian Government.
"The celebrations will showcase the contribution of people of Bihari origin to the island nation and strive to strengthen the historical and cultural bond. But on the sidelines we hope to talk investments," said a senior officer scheduled to accompany the Chief Minister.
Already the Kumar Government has decided to set up a statue of Mauritius' first Prime Minister Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, who belonged to Saran district of Bihar.
A large number of people from Bihar had travelled to Mauritius and other countries in the 19th century to work as indentured labourers in sugarcane and rubber plantations. Most of them stayed back and today some of them hold important positions in the state.
Source- TIE, 10-07-07
