Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on a two-day visit to Mauritius, greeted with warmth and grandeur. At the airport, Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam welcomed him with garlands. Accompanying the welcome were the Deputy Prime Minister, Mauritius’ Chief Justice, Speaker of the National Assembly, opposition leaders, the Foreign Minister, Cabinet Secretary, Chairman of the Grand Port District Council, among others. In total, 200 distinguished guests including MPs, legislators, diplomatic corps, and religious leaders were present to welcome the Prime Minister.
Officials announced that during this visit, starting Tuesday, PM Modi will inaugurate more than 20 India-made projects, ranging from capacity building to community infrastructure developments.
During his visit, PM Modi will join hands with his counterpart Navinchandra Ramgoolam to inaugurate the Civil Services College building. This structure was completed at a cost of approximately 4.75 million dollars, based on an MoU signed in 2017.
Modi will also engage in an e-inauguration of 20 community projects and an Area Health Center, which have been constructed at a cost of around 70 million rupees. These community projects include sports infrastructure facilities.
'We Feel Honored'
PM Modi received a warm welcome upon his arrival at the airport. Mauritius’ Deputy Foreign Minister Humbirajan Narsinghan expressed the honor felt by welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Mauritius, labeling it a 'special occasion'. Highlighting the significance, he mentioned that all 34 ministers would be present at the airport to welcome PM Modi in a grand manner.
In an interview with ANI, Narsinghan recalled PM Modi's 2015 visit to Mauritius, noting India's role as 'a model' in several sectors for their country. He stated, 'Modi is visiting Mauritius after more than 10 years, with his last visit having been in 2015.'
To note, Prime Minister Modi departed late Monday night for the two-day state visit to Mauritius. On March 12, he will participate as the chief guest in the National Day celebrations. The Ministry of External Affairs cited that the visit aims to 'strengthen the enduring ties between India and Mauritius.'
What PM Modi Said
Before his journey to Mauritius on Monday, Prime Minister Modi expressed that this visit would open 'a new and bright chapter' in the relations between the two countries. Meanwhile, Mauritius' Foreign Minister Dhananjay Ramphul disclosed to news agency PTI that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a line of credit will be signed during PM Modi's visit on March 12. In 2016, India endowed Mauritius with a special economic package of 353 million dollars, which included the Metro Express Project, Supreme Court Building, new ENT Hospital, social housing projects, and digital tablets for schoolchildren.
Deep Ties between Mauritius and India
Mauritius is one of the smallest countries on the African continent. Out of its total population of 1.2 million people, about 70% are of Indian origin. Prior to this, PM Modi visited Mauritius during the National Day celebrations in March 2015.
