- Wednesday, June 07, 2023
The cultural precinct will help grow the business district and back its development as a major destination for the subcontinent culture in Sydney, reports said.
By: Shubham Ghosh
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi was on Tuesday (23) set to unveil a plaque formally proclaiming the business district of Harris Park, a suburb of Greater Western Sydney, Australia, as the country’s first ‘Little India’ during an event to celebrate the Indian diaspora.
Modi reached Australia on Monday (22) on a three-day visit from Papua New Guinea.
The renaming will take place following the allocation of $3.5 million last year to formally set up the ‘Little India’ cultural precinct, honouring a poll commitment made by Dr Andrew Charlton, a member of the Australian parliament representing Parramatta, The Australia Today reported.
The cultural precinct will help grow the business district and back its continued development as a major destination for the subcontinent culture in Sydney.
The location for the Centre for Australia-India Relation (CAIR) in Parramatta was also announced during the Indian leader’s visit.
The setting up of the CAIR and ‘Little India’ cultural precinct shows the Anthony Albanese government’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with India and the South Asian nation’s diaspora, The Australia Today report added.
The event will also be attended by Lord Mayor Sameer Pandey, who has just been elected as the first Indian-born Lord Mayor in the island-nation.
“India and Australia are natural partners. Not only do we have strong people-to-people links and shared interests in the Indo-Pacific, but we have a huge opportunity to grow our economic ties,” Charlton, who is also the chair of the Parliamentary Friends of India Group, was quoted as saying by The Australia Today.
“Parramatta has the largest Indian diaspora community in Australia, with over 33,450 Indian-born residents calling the local area home. I am delighted to see Parramatta recognised as a key cultural hub for the Australian-Indian community with the establishment of the Little India precinct and location of CAIR,” he added.
“I am a huge advocate for Little India, and I acknowledge the work of local community leaders in this space, including Gurmeet Tuli with Little India Australia, Parah Shah, Nitin Setia, Lord Mayor Sameer Pandey and Sanjay Deshwal with the Little India in Harris Park Business Association,” the parliamentarian was further quoted as saying by the news outlet.
