India-Mauritius Relations Set To Soar High

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India and Mauritius celebrated yet another land-mark in their special friendship. The new Supreme Court building in Port Louis built with India’s assistance, a symbol of Indo-Mauritian cooperation and shared values was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth. Both India and Mauritius respect their independent judiciaries as important pillars of their democratic systems. Prime Minister Modi expressed satisfaction at the timely completion of the project within the initial estimated cost.

Mr. Modi said, he and Prime Minister Jugnauth, had only a few months back, jointly inaugurated another landmark, the island-nation’s Metro project and a new state-of-the-art hospital. Both these projects are proving useful for the people of Mauritius.

It was in Mauritius that Prime Minister Modi had first spoken about India's vision of SAGAR – (Security and Growth for All in the Region). This is because Mauritius is at the heart of India's approach to the Indian Ocean region. Prime Minister said, today Mauritius is also at the heart of India's approach to development partnerships. He said quoting Mahatma Gandhi, “I do want to think in terms of the whole world. My patriotism includes the good of mankind in general. Therefore, my service to India includes the service of humanity”. The Prime Minister said, this is India's guiding philosophy. India wants to develop and India wants to help others in their own development needs.

India’s approach to development is mainly human-centric. India wants to work for the welfare of humanity. History has taught us that in the name of development partnerships, nations were forced into dependence partnerships. It gave rise to colonial and imperial rule. It also gave rise to global power blocks; and, Humanity suffered. The Prime Minister observed.

India is making development partnerships that are marked by Respect, Diversity, Care for the future, and Sustainable development. For India, the most fundamental principle in development cooperation is respecting her partners. This sharing of development lessons is India’s only motivation. India’s development cooperation does not come with any conditions. It is not influenced by political or commercial considerations.

Prime Minister said, India’s development partnerships are diverse. From commerce to culture, Energy to engineering, Health to housing, IT to infrastructure, Sports to science, India is working with nations across the globe. If India is honoured to help in building the Parliament House in Afghanistan, she is also proud to be associated with the making of the Mahatma Gandhi Convention Centre in Niger. New Delhi is happy to help Nepal improve its health services through the construction of an emergency and trauma hospital. India is similarly privileged to support Sri Lanka's efforts to establish emergency ambulance services in all nine provinces; the

Mr. Modi said, the oil pipeline project India is doing in Nepal will help ensure the availability of petroleum products in that country. Similarly, India is delighted to contribute towards ensuring the availability of drinking water and sanitation in thirty-four islands of the Maldives. India has tried to popularize cricket in countries as diverse as Afghanistan and Guyana by helping build stadiums and other facilities. India considers it a matter of immense pride that she is at the forefront of a major housing project in Sri Lanka. Our development partnerships reflect the development priorities of our partner nations, The Indian Prime Minister observed.

Mr. Modi said, the future is about sustainable development. Human needs and aspirations cannot be in conflict with our natural surroundings. Based on this philosophy, India has made efforts to nurture new institutions like the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

All these values come together in India’s special partnership with Mauritius. With Mauritius, India shares not only the waters of the Indian Ocean but also a common heritage of kinship, culture, and language. Our friendship draws strength from the past, and also looks towards the future. India takes pride in the achievements of the people of Mauritius. From the narrow steps of the sacred ‘Aapravasi Ghat’ to the modern buildings that Mauritius has built, it has been success through hard work and innovation. Mauritius’ spirit is inspiring. India’s partnership is destined to soar even higher in the coming years.

Script: Padam singh, AIR: News Analyst

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