Paras Ramoutar/IANS

Port-of-Spain, Aug 18: The Indian government is willing to help in the installation of a monument at Trinidad and Tobago's Nelson Island where nearly 147,000 Indians arrived between 1845 and 1917 to work on the sugar plantations, a diplomat said.

Joint Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) D.N. Srivastava on Monday said: "Whatever requests come to us for both the installation of a monument at Nelson Island, and the enhancement of the systems and facilities at the Indo-Caribbean Museum would be fully considered and supported."

He was addressing a press conference jointly organised by the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) and the Indian High Commission at Gaston Court, Chaguanas.

Nelson Island was the main entry point for over 147,000 labourers who came here from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar between 1845 and 1917 to work on the sugar plantations and to rescue the failing agricultural capacity.

The Indo-Caribbean Museum is the only facility in the western world to preserve the instruments, religious texts, tools, jewellery, cooking utensils of the people who migrated from India.

Indian High Commissioner Malay Mishra spoke of the importance of the diaspora networking with each other while referring to the forthcoming 8th annual Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (World Indian Diaspora Conference) set for Jan 7-9 in New Delhi.

"The Caribbean peoples must come to the parley and access the opportunity to network with all the major Indian institutions, central government, state governments and representatives of over 60 countries."

It is a platform for discussing issues that concern the Indian diaspora, and it promotes the understanding of the Indian diaspora and attempts to involve their expertise in the development process, he said.