Africa-Press – Mauritius. A two-day International Conference on ‘Contemporary Indian Diaspora: A Global Perspective’ opened, this morning, at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute (MGI), in Moka. The International Conference is organised in the context of the 75th Anniversary celebrations of the Independence of the Republic of India.
The Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation, Mr Darsanand Balgobin, the Chairman of MGI & Rabindranath Tagore Institute (RTI), Mr Mahadeo, the Director of MGI, Mrs V.
Koonjal, the Director-General of MGI and RTI, Mr R. Rampertab, and other personalities were present during the inaugural session. The conference is covering many contemporary issues on Indian Diaspora.
Distinguished researchers, practitioners, policy makers and the broader civil society from Mauritius and the Diaspora are reflecting and presenting their findings on the significant contribution on Indian Migrants and Diaspora Communities.
In his address, Minister Balgobin said that the International Conference marks the sustenance of the long-standing relations with India. “Our ties are anchored in blood, religion, culture, tradition and language”, he emphasised.
Mauritius has built on this rich foundation and created the edifice of a more contemporary partnership, he remarked. The Minister indicated that there are more than 10,000 Indian nationals currently in Mauritius and more than 8,500 Mauritian nationals are holders of the Overseas Citizen of India card.
The event, he underlined, will facilitate relational links between the Indian diaspora and India, and will also expand the connection of networks and the transfer of knowledge.
It will help in collaborative research among countries to raise awareness about the Indian diaspora and pressing issues related to it around the world, he added.
He further emphasised on the crucial role of the diaspora and reiterated the commitment of Mauritius to consolidate strong and friendly ties with India.
For his part, Mr Mahadeo said that the Indian diaspora constitutes more than 20% of the world population and are settled in more than 120 countries. The Indian diaspora, he underlined, has upheld and consolidated Indian values and cultural beliefs for the welfare and benefit of humanity at large.
The International Conference will explore contemporary issues in Indian diaspora globally and the main outcome of the conference will be the issuing of a special E-Publication of the Journal of Mauritian Studies, he added.
For More News And Analysis About Mauritius Follow Africa-Press
