Deeping the decades-old relations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritius counterpart Pravind Jugnauth will jointly inaugurate a new Airstrip and a Jetty along with six development projects at Mauritius’ Agalega Island on Thursday.
The projects are aimed at fulfilling the demand for better connectivity between mainland Mauritius and Agalega, strengthening maritime security, and fostering socio-economic development in the region.
“The inauguration of these projects is a testimony to the robust and decades-old development partnership between India and Mauritius,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) mentioned.
Modi and Jugnauth will jointly dedicate the new airstrip, and the St James Jetty along with six community development projects at the Agalega Island in Mauritius at 1 pm on Thursday via video-conferencing.
The inauguration of these projects holds particular significance, coinciding with the recent launch of India’s instant payment technology service – Unified Payment Interface (UPI), and RuPay Card services in Mauritius by the two leaders on February 12, 2024.
Decoding India-Mauritius ties
India shares deep-rooted and decade-old ties with the island nation nestled in the western Indian Ocean. These ties are forged through a blend of historical, demographic, and cultural connections, underscored by the remarkable fact that individuals of Indian origin constitute nearly 70% of the island’s population of 1.2 million, comprising 28% Creole, 3% Sino-Mauritian, and 1% Franco-Mauritian communities, as of October 2023.
Notably, India has over the years assisted numerous development projects in Mauritius. The Indian Cultural Centre (India’s largest worldwide) in the island nation alongside the World Hindi Secretariat, is the testimony of enduring cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two nations.
India led infra projects in Mauritius
In May 2016, India granted $353 million to Mauritius as a Special Economic Package for five priority projects including the Metro express project, Supreme Court building, New ENT Hospital, social housing initiative, and provision of digital tablets for schoolchildren.
Subsequently, a $500 million Line of Credit (LoC) was also extended in 2017 to finance Mauritius’ social and infrastructural projects.
Other noteworthy assistance include the approval of a $190 million and an additional $10 million grant in October 2021 for Phase III of the Metro project, followed by an additional LoC worth $300 million and a grant of $25 million in August 2022.
An MoU on community development projects, signed in January 2022, underscores the commitment to undertake approximately 100 small-scale, people-centric projects in Mauritius.
Among the completed India-supported initiatives are the Upadhyay Training Centre, Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital, Subramania Bharati Eye Centre, Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre, Swami Vivekananda International Conference Centre, and the World Hindi Secretariat.