“One G-To-G Agreement Signed Every Month between India and Mauritius”

Given Mauritius’ vulnerability to extreme weather conditions, the High Commissioner highlighted India’s commitment to enhancing early warning systems in the country. “We are looking forward to helping augment early warning and message alerts to Mauritian citizens via mobile phones. In the same vein, India’s ISRO will lead a QUAD Project to help monitor such extreme weather and mitigate their impacts,” she added.

In a significant development for bilateral connectivity, Mrs. Singla expressed her pleasure at the resumption of direct flights to Chennai, and revealed plans to increase the frequency of flights between the two countries. “I am also happy to tell you that a direct flight to Chennai resumed four months ago, and we are now looking at adding more flights to India soon,” she said.

The High Commissioner also outlined a series of upcoming projects that will further strengthen the ties between India and Mauritius. “By the end of this year, we will also be supplying the first batch of 100 new eco-friendly electric buses to replace diesel buses. In the coming weeks and months, we will begin construction of a new National Library and Archives, and a new Mauritius Police Academy; we will undertake digitization of the archives of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute and provide musical instruments and refresher courses for teachers; we will initiate E-Judiciary and E-Health projects, and greater collaboration between our two Parliaments, including capacity building of the Broadcasting Unit of the Mauritian Parliament,” she detailed, highlighting the broad scope of cooperation between the two nations.

Mrs. Singla expressed her satisfaction about the future, noting that “58 more community development projects are underway across Mauritius, including in Rodrigues and Agalega; the new Civil Services College in Reduit will be ready for inauguration in a couple of weeks; two new Area Health Centres will also be completed next month at New Grove and Cap Malheureux; a new Renal Transplant Unit in Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital will be ready this December, and a new Forensic Sciences Laboratory in Curepipe will be ready by September next year.”

Reflecting on the past year, the High Commissioner celebrated the milestones achieved in India-Mauritius relations. “We are celebrating many new milestones in India-Mauritius relations since our Independence Day celebration last year. We exchanged more than a dozen high-level visits in the last 12 months, averaging one a month, including the State Visit of our President Draupadi Murmu, External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar, Minister of State Mr. Muraleedharan, and National Security Adviser Mr. Ajit Doval,” she noted.

The relationship between the two nations has also been marked by significant agreements and projects. “One G-To-G Agreement was signed every month on average last year between our two countries. For instance, India’s RuPay Card and UPI were launched in Mauritius, and Mauritius became the first country in the world to procure Indian generic medicines for public hospitals and open a Jan Aushadhi Kendra. 

Nearly 50 new India-assisted development projects were inaugurated in Mauritius last year, which included 38 new community development projects such as soccer pitches and jogging tracks; an Airstrip, Jetty and 6 community projects in Agalega; a 8 MW solar project at Henrietta; and a Mediclinic in Grand Bois.

India’s ISRO will lead a QUAD Project to help monitor extreme weather and mitigate their impacts.

In the last year, 8 Indian Navy ships and an aircraft visited Mauritius for joint EEZ surveillance, fisheries surveys, hydrography, special training and capacity building for the Mauritian National Coast Guard. The Mauritian Coast Guard Ship CGS VICTORY underwent a gratis refit in India, and another Mauritian ship CGS VALIANT will soon sail to India for repairs. 

524 Mauritians attended training programs in India – 421 under ITEC training as well as 103 Mauritian Police Officers and 30 Mauritian Coast Guard personnel who underwent specialised training. 52 Mauritian students were awarded Indian scholarships to study in India; 95 young Mauritians visited India to reconnect with their Indian roots under the Know India Program; and 10 Mauritian youngsters participated in India’s Republic Day celebrations as part of the NCC Youth Exchange Program,” Mrs. Singla shared, illustrating the tangible benefits of this partnership.

The High Commissioner also acknowledged the deep cultural and personal connections between the peoples of India and Mauritius, mentioning the special dispensation given to 7th generation Mauritians of Indian origin, the training and educational exchanges, and the wide participation in the International Day of Yoga.

“Turning to the strong bonds between our people, which is at the heart of our relationship, more than 1700 Mauritians received the Overseas Citizen of India card last year, and for the first time, 7th generation Mauritians of Indian origin also started availing of this facility, making Mauritius the first and only country in the world to be given this special dispensation by the government of India,” Mrs Singla highlighted. 

The High Commissioner expressed her gratitude to the Mauritian government and its leaders for their unwavering commitment to deepening the India-Mauritius partnership. “As I have said on many occasions before, none of this would have been possible without the outstanding support and leadership of the Honourable Prime Minister Shri Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and the commendable assistance of his government in deepening India-Mauritius relations. I am very grateful to Prime Minister Jugnauth, all the honourable Ministers, and officials of the government of Mauritius, for their steadfast commitment and hard work to further strengthen the privileged partnership between India and Mauritius,” she said.

Looking ahead, the High Commissioner shared her anticipation of upcoming high-level visits and engagements, which will continue to build on the strong foundation of friendship and cooperation between India and Mauritius. “His Excellency the Vice President will be visiting India next week to attend the CII India-Africa Business Conclave. The Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly is visiting Delhi to enhance Parliamentary exchanges. We are honoured that Honourable Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth will be attending the third virtual edition of the Voice of the Global South Summit chaired by Prime Minister Modi,” Mrs. Singla announced, signalling a future filled with promise for the India-Mauritius relationship.