28 states, 3 UTs to be represented at World Hindi Conference in Mauritius: Swaraj

The 11th World Hindi Conference in Mauritius will see representation from 28 states and three Union Territories with a large government delegation of 377 people set to take part in the event, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said today.

She said that the inaugural address at the World Hindi Conference, that will be held from August 18-20, will be delivered by Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth.

Goa Governor Mridula Sinha and West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi will take part in the inaugural session.

The World Hindi Conference is organised every three years and in the past it has been organised thrice in India, twice in Mauritius, and one time each in Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, the UK, the US and South Africa, Swaraj told reporters here.

An official delegation of 377 people will take part in the event, she said.

A special plane will carry the members of the Indian delegation, Swaraj said.

She said that 28 states and three Union Territories -- Chandigarh, Delhi and Puducherry -- will be represented at the event.

All chief ministers were asked to send two names for participation at the event.

A total of 1,422 people have registered for the event.

Swaraj said that the last time the event was about language, but this time, language and culture both will be the focus.

At the last conference in Bhopal there were 12 sessions and a committee was also formed to see that action is taken on the recommendations made during the sessions.

Swaraj said this year a separate session on 'Bhopal to Mauritius' which will be held to see what action has been taken on the recommendations.

In the closing session, Mauritian President Anirudh Jugnauth will address the gathering. The mascot for this conference is a peacock and dodo.