India’s SEEDS Initiative To Strengthen Trinidad's SME's Ecosystem

New Delhi : External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar along with the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Sunday jointly inaugurated an agro-processing facility in South Trinidad in Port of Spain. He also joined the launch of a Quick Impact Project for the upgradation of cultural heritage on Nelson Island with grant assistance from India. This includes a memorial monument, creating a digital hub of historical data of the national archive and setting up a digital audio-visual experience.

Dr Jaishankar had arrived in Port of Spain from Paramaribo on Friday on the concluding leg of his three-nation tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at deepening India's engagement with the Caribbean nations.

In a social media post, Dr Jaishankar said that the agro-processing facility, powered by India’s SEEDS initiative, will strengthen Trinidad and Tobago’s Small and Medium-sized Enterprises ecosystem, providing fresh impetus to its farming sector. He also launched a permanent Prosthetics Centre in Penal, Trinidad and Tobago, following the success of India's Jaipur Foot camp in the country that benefited over 800 persons with disabilities. Dr Jaishankar said that the centre is a gift of mobility and dignity for the country and the wider CARICOM region.

The EAM highlighted India's close cultural and historical ties with Trinidad and Tobago as he concluded his visit to the Caribbean nation with a series of engagements focused on diaspora outreach and development cooperation. On Saturday, the minister had interacted with members of the Indian community and underlined the "special bonds" shared with the Girmitya community, descendants of Indian indentured labourers who had migrated to the Caribbean during the colonial era. The Minister also expressed happiness in meeting the Indo-Trinbagonian community in South Trinidad.

Terming India as a "reliable and trusted partner", responsive to the needs and aspirations of Trinidad and Tobago, the EAM said Prime Minister Narendra Modi attaches a high importance to creating a database of the Girmitya community and conducting research on this legacy. “On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s directions, we are working to create a dedicated Girmitya Studies Centre. I am glad that an MoU for Cooperation between the National Archives of India and of Trinidad and Tobago was signed yesterday. I am hopeful that this would help many of the people here in tracing their ancestral roots and reconnecting with their families in India,” EAM said.

Mr Modi, during his visit, had announced the issuance of Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) Cards up to the sixth generation. The EAM acknowledged that the number of OCI applications received by the Indian High Commission are growing, adding, “it will be our endeavour to facilitate others who may not necessarily have the access to the required paperwork.”