‘Connected by belonging’: Modi hails Trinidad & Tobago PM as Bihar ki beti

Extends OCI cards to 6th-generation diaspora

PM Narendra Modi gifts beatified h2o of Sangam and Saryu to Trinidad and Tobago PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar successful Port of Spain connected Thursday. ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi connected Friday celebrated India’s historical ties with Trinidad and Tobago, calling the country’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar ‘Bihar ki Beti’ (daughter of Bihar), during his code to the Indian diaspora.

In a peculiar gesture, Trinidad and Tobago conferred its highest civilian honour — The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago — connected Modi, recognising his relation successful deepening bilateral ties.

Speaking astatine a assemblage event, Modi shared that Persad-Bissessar’s ancestors hailed from Buxar successful Bihar and that she had adjacent visited the town. “We are not conscionable connected by humor oregon surname, we are connected by belonging. India looks retired to you and welcomes you,” helium said.

Praising Bihar, helium said, “Bihar’s practice is the pridefulness of India and the world. It has shown the mode successful assorted fields for centuries — and caller opportunities volition look from Bihar successful the 21st period arsenic well.”

Persad-Bissessar holds a fig of historical distinctions: the archetypal pistillate to go Prime Minister, Attorney General and Leader of the Opposition successful Trinidad and Tobago, and the archetypal pistillate of Indian root to caput a authorities extracurricular India and the subcontinent. She besides became the archetypal pistillate to seat the Commonwealth of Nations.

1st overseas person to get nation’s apical honour

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was honoured with the highest nationalist award, the Order of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago. He is the archetypal overseas person to beryllium conferred this honour. The citation said the highest nationalist grant of Trinidad & Tobago was being conferred connected PM Modi for his statesmanship, for championing the priorities of the Global South and for his exceptional publication to strengthening the narration betwixt India and Trinidad & Tobago.

Modi recalled her sojourn to India 25 years ago, noting however Indo-Trinidadian ties person strengthened since. He highlighted taste overlaps — specified arsenic thoroughfare names similar Banaras, Patna, Kolkata and Delhi successful Trinidad — and pointed to section celebrations of festivals similar Navratri, Mahashivratri and Janmashtami, arsenic good arsenic the continued popularity of accepted euphony similar ‘Chautal’ and ‘Bhaitak Gana’.

“Even though Trinidad and Tobago is smaller than Jodhpur, the Indian assemblage present has played a large relation successful its civilization and economy,” Modi said. “Indian traditions unrecorded connected successful food, music, connection and festivals,” helium added.

About 40 per cent of Trinidad and Tobago’s colonisation is of Indian origin, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. Of the 5,56,800 radical of Indian descent, lone astir 1,800 are Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), portion the remainder are descendants of indentured labourers who arrived betwixt 1845 and 1917.

In a important announcement, Modi declared that Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards would present beryllium disposable to the sixth procreation of the Indian diaspora successful Trinidad and Tobago.

Earlier, Modi received a ceremonial invited astatine Piarco International Airport, wherever helium was greeted by Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar, 38 ministers and 4 MPs.