Bhubaneswar, Nov. 14: Mauritius President Anerood Jugnauth and the country’s First Lady Sarojni Jugnauth were accorded a civic reception by people of Orissa today.

Rajya Sabha member Pyari Mohan Mohapatra, finance minister Prafulla Ghadei, higher education minister Debi Prasad Mishra, MP Prassana Patsani and KIIT founder Achuta Samanta were present at the reception.

“I feel deeply overwhelmed by the warm reception I received in Orissa. I am proud to be a descendant of this land,” said the President, whose forefathers migrated to Mauritius four decades ago.

“Believe in yourself and prepare to engage yourself for the nation, for the poor and the needy,” he said in his speech.

Speaking on the occasion, Pyari Mohan Mohapatra said: “There is a lot we have to learn from Mauritius and the country’s President. We have to learn how to turn our beaches like the emerald green waters of Mauritius and learn from the President the ‘political corrections’ he has done during his career.”

“We have to learn the way he handled the unemployment problem with industrialisation and tackled the economy effectively. He never deterred or wavered despite a lot of political instability,” Mohapatra said.

Higher education minister Debi Prasad Misra said that arrangements have been made for the couple to visit Konark and the Jagannath Temple in Puri tomorrow.

“We also have planned a 45-minute cultural show for the President so that he could have an idea about the culture of Orissa.

“There can be a cultural alliance between Mauritius and Orissa and we can work out how there can be more tourism prospects,” said Mishra.

The President and the First Lady were felicitated with shawls, mementos and citations.

Chinta and Chetana, a cultural organisation, and Bramhakumari organisations were among others who felicitated the visiting dignitaries.

Earlier in the day, the President and his wife visited the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences and interacted with more than 10,000 tribal students there.