 partnership, India will produce an Indo-Mauritian satellite for Mauritius){kind=link}
Mauritius: As part of the Government to Government (G2G) partnership, India will produce an Indo-Mauritian satellite for Mauritius to support earth and maritime observation, weather forecasting and capacity building.
This announcement was made yesterday evening by the High Commissioner of India to Mauritius, K. Nandini Singla, during a reception to mark the 76th anniversary of the Independence Day of India held at the High Commission of India, Ebène.
The event was attended by the President of the Republic of Mauritius, Prithvirajsing Roopun; the Prime Minister, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth; the Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Alan Ganoo; several Ministers and Members of Parliament; and other eminent personalities.
President Roopun proposed a toast to the President and People of the Republic of India, while the High Commissioner of India raised a toast to the President and the people of the Republic of Mauritius.
In her address, Singla recalled that the 75th year of diplomatic relations between India and Mauritius had witnessed several milestones. She pointed out that India has invited Mauritius as a Special Invitee to the G20 and underlined that the special relationship between the two nations also translates into an array of concrete and dynamic initiatives through the exchange of more than 30 delegations and signing of 23 bilateral Agreements in the past year.
She further stated that when the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) was introduced in 2021, Mauritian exports reached USD 1 million in 2022 and an additional USD 2 million in the first six months of this year, amounting to a total of US 3 million dollars of Mauritian exports to India.
‘Our bilateral trade will receive a further boost with the setting up of the Special Rupee Vostro Account Facility last December, enabling, for the first time, Mauritian and Indian traders to settle their cross-border financial transactions in Indian Rupees’, she added.
Moreover, the High Commissioner enumerated several new development projects aiming at enhancing the quality of life of Mauritians, namely: the launching of 98 community development projects such as soccer playgrounds, jogging tracks, and solar-powered street lights; two new extensions of the Metro project from Phoenix to Curepipe, and from Rose Hill to Reduit; commissioning of a new Advanced Light Helicopter ‘Dhruv’; and inauguration of an Ayurveda Garden at the State House in Reduit containing over 60 Ayurvedic herbs.
Speaking about new projects, Singla underlined that the design of the first-of-its-kind Global Ayurvedic Centre of Excellence will be built in Côte d’Or with Indian assistance. The Centre will not only have an Ayurvedic Hospital but will also have research and teaching facilities and serve as a relaxing retreat for Mauritians and tourists looking for rejuvenation and natural healing, she said.
Other projects include: the 8 MW solar power project in Henrietta; the new Civil Services College in Réduit; the Renal Transplant Unit at the Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital; a Mediclinic in Grand Bois; and an Area Health Centre in New Grove and Cap Malheureux. Furthermore, she pointed out that work on the Mauritius Police Academy and the National Library and Archives will also commence shortly.
To advance our partnership in combating climate change, we are also looking at partnering in replacing 200 diesel buses in Mauritius with eco-friendly electric buses, she said.
In a bid to enable Mauritian and Indian tourists and visitors to make debit card/credit card payments using their local Mauritian and Indian cards without having to exchange currency, the Indian Rupay Card and Unified Payment Interface system will soon be launched, she added.
High Commissioner Singla further mentioned that in the last 12 months, 362 Mauritians received free training in India, 87 Mauritians received Indian educational scholarships, and nearly 100 Mauritian youngsters visited India to participate in various youth Programmes.
Our growing people-to-people connect, she highlighted, is also evident through the increase in Overseas Citizen of India cards to Mauritians this year (1 200); increase by 71% in Indian tourists to Mauritius over the previous year; honouring 105 Mauritians with Hindi Sewa Samman Awards for their contribution to Hindi promotion; and the start of a new Indian airline – Air Vistara – with five more flights per week to Mumbai, as well as the resumption of flights to New Delhi by Air Mauritius.