Trinidad & Tobago Prez To Address Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Tomorrow Amid Emergency In Her Nation

Bhubaneswar: Christine Carla Kangaloo, the president of Trinidad and Tobago, will address Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention, being held in Bhubaneswar, as its chief guest virtually on January 9.

Her country is currently under a state of emergency after the recent murders in the last few days of December. Kangaloo had declared a state of emergency in Trinidad and Tobago on December 30, 2024 after a series of murders on the weekend of December 28 and 29. Following these murder, the number of homicides in the country rose to a record 620 in 2024.

According to the US’s Government Accountability Office (GAO), Trinidad and Tobago has one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America and the Caribbean along with Jamaica and Haiti.

The chief guest at the last Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in January 2023 was President Mohamed Irfaan Ali of Guyana. At that time, he was physically present at the convention in Indore.

A total of 27 individuals will be honoured during the convention. “The 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention will be formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 9. Christine Carla Kangaloo, the President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, will be the chief guest and she will be virtually addressing the convention,” said Arun Kumar Chatterjee, secretary consular, Passport and Visa division (CPV) and Overseas Indian Affairs (OIA) at the MEA, at a special briefing in Bhubaneswar.

Also Read: PM Modi To Arrive In Bhubaneswar Today For Pravasi Bharatiya Divas; Know The Traffic Restrictions

The convention would witness ministerial-level delegations from Mauritius, Malaysia and South Africa at the convention this year. Groups from the Indian community in Mauritius, Oman, Malaysia, Qatar, UAE, the UK and the US would also be present.

The event is held once every two years to commemorate return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India in 1915. Past conventions will be held in other cities including Gandhinagar, Varanasi, and Bengaluru.