PM and the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Mr Pravind Jugnauth jointly inaugurate new Airstrip and a Jetty at Agalega Island in Mauritius via video conferencing on February 29, 2024.
New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth jointly inaugurated a new airstrip and St. James Jetty along with six community development projects at the Agalega Island in Mauritius via video conferencing today.
“Setting up of the new airstrip and jetty facility in Agalega is the fulfilment of yet another Mauritian dream”, Jugnauth said and lauded India’s contribution to entirely finance the project.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in New Delhi that the inauguration of these projects was a testimony to the “robust and decades-old development partnership” between India and Mauritius. It will fulfil the demand for better connectivity between mainland Mauritius and Agalega, strengthen maritime security and foster socio-economic development.
The inauguration of these projects is significant as it follows the recent launch of UPI and RuPay Card services in Mauritius by the two leaders on 12 February 2024, the PMO pointed out.
Jugnauth said that India and Mauritius made history today with the joint inauguration of the new projects at Agalega Island. Terming the event as a symbol of the exemplary partnership between the two nations, Jugnauth thanked Modi for giving a “new dimension” to the Mauritius-India relationship and also expressed gratitude for being present today. He also informed that Mauritius has become the first nation to adopt the ‘Jan Aushadhi Scheme’ which allows the sourcing of about 250 high-quality medicines from the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India, thereby benefiting the people of Mauritius at large and imparting further momentum to the partnership between the two countries. Lauding Jugnauth’s decision to establish Jan Ayushadhi Kendras in Mauritius, Modi said this will benefit the people of Mauritius by providing better quality Made-in-India generic medicines.
Modi said that Mauritius was a key partner of India’s ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’ and a special partner under Vision SAGAR. “As members of Global South, we have common priorities and the last 10 years have seen unprecedented momentum in the relations between the two countries and new heights of mutual cooperation have been achieved,” he said. He stressed that India has always respected Mauritius’s needs and acted as the first responder, and highlighted India’s long-standing support to the island nation, be it the Covid pandemic or oil spill. He said that the prime objective of India is a positive change for the people of Mauritius. In the last 10 years, the Prime Minister informed that India extended a credit line of 1,000 million US dollars along with 400 million US dollars worth of assistance to the people of Mauritius. He pointed out Indian contributions to the development of metro rail lines, community development projects, social housing, ENT Hospital, Civil Service College and sports complexes infrastructures in Mauritius.
Referring to traditional and non-traditional challenges in the Indian Ocean Region which affect the two economies, PM Modi said that India and Mauritius are the natural partners in maritime security to deal with these challenges. “We are actively working to ensure security, prosperity and stability in the Indian Ocean Region. We are cooperating in all areas like monitoring of Exclusive Economic Zone, joint patrolling, hydrography, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief”, the Prime Minister of India added. He emphasized that today’s inauguration of the airstrip and jetty at Agalega will further advance cooperation between the two countries while also strengthening the blue economy of Mauritius.
– global bihari bureau
