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During the national celebrations, President of the Republic of Mauritius H.E. Mr. Dharambeer Gokhool conferred the Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean (G.C.S.K) Award, Mauritius’s highest civilian award, on Prime Minister Modi. This is the first time an Indian leader has received this honor.
Prime Minister Modi dedicated this award to the special friendship between India and Mauritius and to the 1.4 billion people of India and their 1.3 million brothers and sisters in Mauritius. During the National Day celebrations, an Indian Navy marching contingent participated in the parade. An Indian Naval Ship also made a Port Call to coincide with the National Day celebrations.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Public Service and Innovation Inauguration
On this occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Mauritius, H.E. Navinchandra Ramgoolam jointly inaugurated the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Public Service and Innovation in Reduit, Mauritius. This landmark project, implemented under the India-Mauritius development partnership, underscores India’s commitment to capacity building in Mauritius.
Funded through a grant of US$ 4.74 million under a 2017 MoU, the state-of-the-art institute will cater to the training needs of Mauritian civil servants across ministries, public offices, parastatal bodies, and government enterprises. Beyond training, the institute would serve as a centre of excellence in public administration, fostering research, governance studies, and institutional linkages with India.
On the occasion, PM also interacted with ITEC and GoI scholarship alumni, who have previously undergone training and education in India. These capacity building exchanges have added depth to the strong people-to-people ties between the two nations.
Aligned with India’s commitment to the Global South, the institute reflects India’s role as a trusted partner in the Indian Ocean Region and its unwavering commitment to strengthening the comprehensive India-Mauritius partnership.
While addressing PM Modi shared: “On behalf of 140 crore Indians, I extend my heartfelt greetings to the people of Mauritius on their National Day. It is a matter of great honor for me to visit Mauritius again for the National Day. I express my sincere gratitude to Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam ji and the Government of Mauritius for this privilege.”
He added, “The ties between India and Mauritius are not only bound by the Indian Ocean, but also by our shared culture, traditions, and values. We are partners on the journey to economic and social development. Be it a natural disaster or the COVID pandemic, we have always supported each other. Whether its security or education, healthcare or space, we walk shoulder to shoulder in every sector. We’ve added many new dimensions to our relations in the last ten years. We’ve created new records in the field of developmental cooperation and capacity building:
The Metro Express to add speed to Mauritius;
The Supreme Court Building for justice;
Social housing for comfortable living;
ENT Hospital for good health;
UPI and the RuPay Card to boost trade and tourism;
and, Jan Aushadhi Kendras for affordable and quality medicines.
He continued, “There are many such people-centric initiatives that we have completed in a time bound manner. Improved connectivity in Agaléga facilitated the swift delivery of humanitarian assistance to those affected by Cyclone Chido. Many lives could be saved due to this. We’ve just inaugurated the Cap Malheureux Area Health Centre along with twenty community development projects.”
He said, Efforts will be made to modernize a 100 km long water pipeline in Mauritius. In the second phase of community development projects, new projects worth 500 million Mauritian Rupees will be launched. Over the next five years, 500 civil servants from Mauritius shall receive training in India. Additionally, we have reached an agreement for settlement of mutual trade in local currency.”
“Today, Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam and I have decided to elevate the India-Mauritius partnership to an ‘Enhanced Strategic Partnership’. We’ve decided that India will cooperate in building a new Parliament building in Mauritius. This will be a gift to Mauritius from the ‘Mother of Democracy’.
PM Modi
He further said ,”The Prime Minister and I agree that Defense Cooperation and Maritime Security are key pillars of our strategic partnership. Free, open, secure, and safe Indian Ocean is our common priority. We are committed to providing our full support for the security of the Exclusive Economic Zone of Mauritius. In this regard, we will extend every possible assistance to meet the needs of the Coast Guard. India shall also assist in setting up of the Police Academy and National Maritime Information Sharing Centre in Mauritius. Cooperation will be further strengthened in white shipping, blue economy, and hydrography.
We fully respect the sovereignty of Mauritius with regard to Chagos. We will extend our cooperation through forums such as the Colombo Security Conclave, Indian Ocean Rim Association, and Indian Ocean Conference. People-to-people ties form a strong foundation for our partnership. Cooperation shall be extended in areas like, Digital Health, AYUSH Centre, school education, skilling and mobility. We will work together to utilize AI and DPI, i.e. Digital Public Infrastructure for the development of mankind.
For the People of Mauritius, facilitation will be provided for Char Dham Yatra and Ramayan Trail in India. Emphasis will be given to the preservation and promotion of the ‘Girmitiya’ Heritage.
Be it the Global South, the Indian Ocean or the African Continent, Mauritius is our important partner. Ten years ago, the foundation of Vision SAGAR, which stands for “Security and Growth for All in the Region” was laid here in Mauritius. We’re moving ahead with the SAGAR Vision for the stability and prosperity of this region.
Today, building upon this, PM Modi I want to say that our vision for Global South will be – going beyond SAGAR – it will be MAHASAGAR, i.e. “Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions”. It shall encompass the ideas of trade for development, capacity building for sustainable growth, and mutual security for a shared future. Under this, we will extend cooperation through technology sharing, concessional loan and grants.”
PM Modi also extended his heartfelt gratitude to the top leaders and the people of Mauritius for the warm welcome he received, and cordially invited the leaders to visit India.
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