Recalling that India and Mauritius were united by history, ancestry, culture, language and the shared waters of the Indian Ocean, Prime Minister Modi said their robust development partnership had emerged as a key pillar of close ties….reports Asian Lite News
Mauritius is integral to India’s approach to the Indian Ocean, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday.
It was during his 2015 visit to Mauritius that he had outlined India’s maritime cooperation vision of SAGAR -Security and Growth for All in the Region, PM Modi recalled, while speaking at the joint inauguration and launch of India-assisted development projects in Mauritius.
“I am glad that our bilateral cooperation, including in maritime security, has translated this vision into action. Despite the constraints of COVID, we were able to hand over a Dornier aircraft on lease and complete the Short Refit of the Mauritian Coast Guard ship Barracuda,” PM Modi said during the joint virtual event with Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth.
“The deployment of equipment and experts to contain the Wakashio oil spill was another example of our cooperation to protect our shared maritime heritage,” he added.
Recalling that India and Mauritius were united by history, ancestry, culture, language and the shared waters of the Indian Ocean, Prime Minister Modi said their robust development partnership had emerged as a key pillar of close ties.
PM Modi said Mauritius was a prime example of India’s approach to development partnership which is based on the needs and priorities of its partners and respects their sovereignty.
“India and Mauritius are united by history, ancestry, culture, language and the shared waters of the Indian Ocean. Today, our robust development partnership has emerged as a key pillar of our close ties,” he stated.
Modi said he fondly remembers inaugurating the Metro Express project, the New ENT Hospital and the New Supreme Court building.
He added that it is also a matter of satisfaction and pride for India that the New ENT Hospital has been instrumental in combating COVID-19.
Delighted to know about the Metro’s popularity, crossing the 5.6 million passengers mark, he said India looked forward to supporting the further extension of the Metro, under the 190 million dollar Line of Credit agreement exchanged on Thursday.
“In fact, our cooperation during the COVID pandemic has been exemplary. Under our Vaccine Maitri programme, Mauritius was one of the first countries we were able to send COVID vaccines to,” PM Modi said.
“I am happy that today Mauritius is among the few countries in the world to have fully vaccinated three-fourths of its population,” he mentioned.
Noting that Thursday’s event again demonstrates “our shared commitment to improving the lives of our people,” PM Modi expressed happiness on the completion of the Social Housing project.
“We are particularly glad to be associated with this important effort to provide affordable houses to the common people of Mauritius,” he maintained.
“We are also initiating today two other Projects that are critical to nation-building: a state-of-the-art Civil Service College that will help in skilling government officers, for Mauritius’s continued progress; and the 8 Mega Watt Solar PV Farm project, which will help mitigate the climate challenges that Mauritius faces as an island country,” the Prime Minister informed.
He further stated that in India too, is focusing on innovative approaches to civil-service capacity building under the Mission Karmyogi.
“We would be happy to share our experiences with the new Civil Services college. As we launch the 8 Mega Watt Solar PV Farm, I recall the One Sun One World One Grid initiative, which was launched on the sidelines of the COP-26 meeting in Glasgow last year,” Modi said. “It is an idea that I had put forth at the First Assembly of the International Solar Alliance in October 2018.This initiative will not only reduce carbon footprints and energy costs, but also open a new avenue for cooperation between different countries and regions,” he stated.
“I hope that India and Mauritius can together create a shining example of such cooperation in solar energy,” PM Modi added.
“The Agreement on Small Development Projects that we are exchanging today will deliver high-impact projects at the community level across Mauritius,” he further said.
PM Modi further said that in the coming days, we will begin work on several important projects such as the Renal Transplant unit, the Forensic Science Laboratory, the National Library & Archives, the Mauritius Police Academy, and many others.
“I would like to reiterate today that India will always continue to stand by Mauritius in its development journey,” he added.
In his address, Prime Minister Modi recalled the stellar contribution of the late Sir Anerood Jugnauth to strengthening India-Mauritius ties.
“He was a visionary leader, who was widely respected in India,” Modi said, adding that Thursday’s event was the first bilateral event between the two countries countries after his sad demise.