Following is an from the site http://www.wasitrac.org/bm/about-us/index.shtml.

Our Mission

To facilitate in building bridges for Washington State and its citizens, with their counterparts in India; beginning with establishing a sister state relationship between Washington State and the State of Orissa in India.  Primary focus being, but not limited to, infrastructure development, renewable and clean energy, education and social services. We will engage by respecting the diversity in both cultures with the ultimate goal of delivering true value of bilateral relationship.

WASITRAC is registered in the State of Washington as a Non-Profit organization.

Following is from the site http://www.wasitrac.org/bm/about-us/india-trade-grows-fast-despite-global-recession.shtml.

WASITRAC, Orissa and Washington State

WASITRAC has been a strong advocate for the promotion of the Indian state of Orissa as a trade partner to the State of Washington. Besides having a second tier city as its capital, the State of Orissa has lots of advantages for the State of Washington for establishing a Sister-State  relationship with. Its geographical presence, its unexplored natural resources, very low cost of living, vast growth opportunities, a coastal line of 480 Kilometers and the deepest sea port in the nation at Dhamra, it is strategically located closest to the sea ports in the East Asian Countries (like China, South Korea, Vietnam and Japan) the Washington State have the sea trade with. It will also be a great opportunity for the Port of Seattle to explore the possibilities of establishing a sister port relationship with Dhamra or any other Ports. A joint collaboration for the Infrastructure developments along with the development of maritime activities and tourism along the Orissa Coast is also among the endless opportunities to be explored by the Washington State businesses.

Take for example the state of Orissa

Orissa is about to embark on an ambitious state-wide economic development program under the dynamic leadership of its Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, one of the most progressive chief ministers in the nation. The State is perfectly positioned to benefit from a variety of on going and future infrastructure developments. Having one of the world’s deepest natural sea ports, 480 km of coastal line and being located roughly in the middle of the Indian Eastern seaboard and close to the East Asian nations of China, Japan and Korea whom the State of Washington already has a sea trade with, Orissa is poised to offer the best return on investment (ROI) of any industry or entity currently open to foreign investment.

Some of the investment opportunities include:

    * Architectural services
    * Infrastructure Developments (sea ports and air port development, Container Depots)
    * Telecommunications
    * Power supply and management
    * Sewer, water and garbage mgmt
    * Clean Energy technologies
    * Tourism & maritime activities
    * Chemicals & Fertilizers
    * Manufacturing: Food Processing; Packaging; Irrigation
    * Health care services: Hospitals, Pharmaceuticals
    * Educational Institutions Development

The WASITRAC team has two Odias who most likely are driving this initiative. Their bios are given in the page http://www.wasitrac.org/bm/bios/index.shtml.

Kudos to them for making this attempt. Lets help them in any way possible and hope that they are successful.