Ranil Kumar 
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has acknowledged the enormous efforts and the resilience of indentured labourers who were brought from India to Fiji to work on the sugarcane farms.
He says the Girmityas have had a significant impact on Fiji’s development and history.
Rabuka says the word “girmit” came from the work agreement when most Indians could not pronounce the word.
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“There was an agreement, and some of them were unable to pronounce the word agreement, and instead of that, most say girmit. That’s why they were named Girimits.”
PM Rabuka says the first Indians to settle in Fiji were the Girmitya, who created the business environment and helped Fiji’s economy grow.
The National Girmit Day will be celebrated on May 15th.
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