A progressive, dynamic and passionate politician, Nita Deerpalsing was born in January 1965 and grew up in Mauritius. Having subsequently lived, worked and/or studied in Canada, Paris and London, Nita is a cosmopolitan global citizen with a broad outlook on life and issues. She is currently a Member of Parliament in Mauritius, Deputy Chairperson at the Prime Minister's Commission for Economic Democratisation, Member of the Joint ACP-EU Parliament and Member of the Public Accounts Committee.

She graduated in Actuarial Mathematics and Statistics in Canada, receiving a Memorial Scholarship for her outstanding academic performance throughout the Program. She lived and worked in Canada for some ten years before moving back to Mauritius.

The Canadian years were full of intense discovery, exploration and fulfillment for her deep social conscience. Amongst numerous activities, she participated in public demonstrations with Students Against Apartheid, Abolish Death Penalty etc. In 1994, despite working full-time as an Actuarial Consultant in Vancouver, Nita signed up for a challenging evening Liberal Arts Masters Program "to feed her soul". She also traveled significantly, relishing on adventure trips such as backpacking/camping tours to India, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Morroco, Spain and Portugal. During the course of her Masters degree in Liberal Arts, she participated in several seminars, debates related to politics, philosophy, sociology etc. The contemporary intellectuals who have marked her most - and whose lectures/seminars she has had the opportunity to attend - are Amartya Sen, the late Sumantra Ghoshal and the late Edward Said.

In 2002, Nita was awarded the "Women with Leadership Potential" scholarship from the Sloan Program at London Business School and that was a turning point in her career. In hindsight, the Sloan program was a determining step for her future political engagement.

Upon her return to Mauritius in 2003, she was approached by the Labour Party to participate in policy reflection/formulation within the Policy Unit of the Party. Much encouraged by the Leader of the Mauritian Labour Party, Dr the Honourable Navin Ramgoolam, she took the plunge in the political arena by successfully standing for General Elections in 2005.

Nita's thoughts and actions are inspired by her deep belief in a humanist philosophy of life and her desire for social justice.