EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar and PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar Inaugurate Permanent Jaipur Foot Center in Trinidad & Tobago

 

 

Foot USA, a supporting organization to Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS) the world’s largest NGO serving the differently abled—along with BRUHUD NY Seniors and the Rajasthan Association of North America (RANA), jointly organized a grand welcome ceremony in New York last September in honor of the Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, Smt. Kamla Persad-Bissessar. The occasion also marked the celebration of the birthday of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, highlighted by the unveiling of the “Viksit Bharat” T-shirt by Prime Minister Bissessar. Following the unveiling, Chairman of Jaipur Foot USA, Prem Bhandari, announced in his address the establishment of a permanent Jaipur Foot Center in Trinidad & Tobago, making the occasion even more meaningful in celebration of Prime Minister Modi’s birthday.

 

 

Within a week of this announcement, on October 3, 2025, a 50-day Jaipur Foot camp commenced in Port of Spain. The camp was organized by BMVSS, as earlier announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit, and was fully sponsored by the Government of India. During the camp, more than 800 differently abled individuals were provided with the world-renowned Jaipur Foot prosthetics, transforming lives on a large scale. On the inaugural day of the camp, a key meeting was held with Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar. Present at the meeting were Dr. Pradeep Singh Rajpurohit, High Commissioner of India to Trinidad & Tobago; D.R. Mehta, Founder and Chief Patron of BMVSS; Prem Bhandari, Chairman of Jaipur Foot USA; Manish Daddha, Vice Chairman; Ajay Patel, Vice President; Amit Alagh; and Dr. Sona Ramdath Jr. During this meeting, it was finalized that Jaipur Foot USA would support the initiative by funding travel expenses, training of Health Ministry personnel, machinery, and materials required for the operation of the permanent Jaipur Foot Center during its initial two years.

 

Remarkably, within just eight months of the announcement by Prem Bhandari, the vision became a reality. Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar, in the gracious presence of India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, inaugurated the permanent Jaipur Foot Center in Trinidad & Tobago. Jaipur Foot USA Vice President and Chief Coordinator of the Permanent Jaipur Foot Center in Trinidad & Tobago, Ajay Patel, along with fellow founding members Amit Alagh and U.S.-based Trinidadian Dr. Sona Ramdath Jr., also joined the inaugural ceremony. During the inauguration, Prime Minister Bissessar highly appreciated Jaipur Foot USA, mentioning the organization several times and emphasizing, “Promise made and promise kept,” reflecting her admiration for the humanitarian commitment fulfilled by the organization. Trinidad & Tobago Health Minister Dr. Lackram Bodoe, in his remarks, also praised Jaipur Foot USA for its humanitarian service and for bringing hope, mobility, and dignity to differently abled individuals in Trinidad & Tobago and across the Caribbean region. India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, while addressing the gathering, praised Jaipur Foot’s extraordinary contribution to humanity and its worldwide impact in the field of prosthetics.

 

He stated: “But even more so today, using a technology, I would say an experience almost, almost the culture of prosthetics for which the Jaipur Foot has become so famous across the world.Now where the prosthetics are concerned, of course this is something Jaipur Foot has made its name known across the world. I would say really, literally hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions, have benefited over the years. I have visited other occasions like this and it is natural that it meets with a tremendous response from the cross section of people.” Jaipur Foot USA Chairman Prem Bhandari said, “In record time, under the able leadership of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, Smt. Kamla Persad-Bissessar, and with the strong support of her government and ministries, this dream became a reality. This permanent center will not only restore mobility, but also dignity and hope to differently abled individuals across the Caribbean region.” Bhandari further added that this initiative was “the most meaningful way to celebrate the birthday of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi first by announcing the center during the celebrations in New York, and now by already serving people with disabilities through this historic humanitarian project.”