Kingston, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar discussed India’s ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship during an interaction with the Indian diaspora in the Jamaican capital.
The minister also spoke about recent developments in India-Jamaica ties.
Sharing details of the interaction held on Sunday, Jaishankar, in a social media post, noted that Prime Minister Andrew Holness had spoken warmly about the role of the Indian diaspora in Jamaica’s development.
“Pleasure to interact with the Indian community in Jamaica. Good to hear the Prime Minister of Jamaica speak so warmly about their many contributions,” he said.
Jaishankar said he shared with the community members the transformation underway in India, particularly in “infrastructure, human development, and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship”.
India and Jamaica share close historical and cultural ties, with the Indian-origin community playing an important role in strengthening bilateral relations over the years.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India’s strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
According to the website of the High Commission of India in Kingston, Jamaica has an Indian diaspora of around 70,000 people whose forefathers came mostly from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar as indentured labour between 1845 and 1917. Some also came from South India.
The diaspora constitute around 3 per cent of Jamaica’s population and continues to nurture an abiding interest in Indian culture, music, dance and history, serving as a cultural bridge between the two countries. May 10 is observed as India Heritage Day in Jamaica.
In an op-ed, published in Jamaica’s national daily The Gleaner on Sunday, Jaishankar said, “India and Jamaica are both pluralistic societies, political democracies and market economies. What gives our ties a special flavour is, of course, the Indian diaspora that has been a link now for 180 years.”
“Today, a community of approximately 70,000 people of Indian origin stands as a living bridge between our two countries,” he said.
The India-Jamaica relationship, Jaishankar added, is a story of continuity and change, anchored in a shared past, energised by present cooperation, and oriented towards a future of greater possibilities.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
