Investment from Mauritius to Bihar promised during Nitish's visit

Patna, Jul 31 (UNI) With a view to promoting the newly- found business opportunity between Mauritius and Bihar, besides exploring the long standing ethnic bond between the two, a ''Mauritius House'' will soon be set up here to usher in a new chapter in bilateral relations.

Announcing his government's decision on the project during a dinner hosted last night in honour of visiting Bihar Chief minister Nitish Kumar at Port Louise, Mauritius minister of Foreign Affairs, Global Trade and Cooperation, Madan Dullo said the Mauritius House would also serve as the country's Consulate office in Eastern India to cater information of joint venture business and foster friendship between the island nation of African continent and Bihar.

Informing this, official sources quoted a senior member of the Chief minister's delegation as saying the preliminary talks were also held between Mr Nitish Kumar and Mauritian Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramghoolam on starting a direct flight between Port Louise and Patna via Kolkata by their National carriers soon.

Since the number of people of Bihari origin in Mauritius had now swelled to more than a million since the arrival of their ancestors in the island nation nearly a century ago mostly as labourers, no direct relation was developed between the two distant lands despite having close bond at government level. As such both the leaders felt and agreed to the idea of setting up an exclusive Mauritius House in Patna to tap the huge business opportunity directly between Mauritius and one of the major Eastern India states.

''We shall provide all infrastructural support, including the free land for establishing the Mauritius House in one of the prime locations of Patna'', the Chief minister quoted to have said and hoped that the work to this effect would begin soon.

Incidentally, Mr Kumar along with his 30-member delegation, comprising leading businessmen, senior bureaucrats and cultural artistes is currently on a five-day tour of Mauritius from July 28 on an invitation from the Mauritius Prime minister whose ancestors had also hailed from Bihar.

During the visit Mr Kumar participated in a nationwide celebrations of ''Bihar week'' in Mauritius and addressed the National Assembly of that country in Port Louise.

He is scheduled to be back on August two.

UNI