Droupadi Murmu, President of India, was on a 3-day state visit to the Republic of Mauritius from 11th to 13th March 2024. This was her first state visit to Mauritius.
Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Prime Minister (PM) of Mauritius, received her at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, Port Louis, Mauritius.
- She visited Mauritius at the invitation of the Government of Mauritius to attend the 56th National Day Celebrations of Mauritius on 12th March 2024 as Chief Guest.
President Murmu met with President Prithvirajsing Roopun:
President Droupadi Murmu met the President of Mauritius, Prithvirajsing Roopun at State House(Le Reduit) and discussed ways to further strengthen the unique and multi-faceted India-Mauritius relationship.
i.she visited the Ayurvedic Garden in the grounds of the State House.
ii.She also visited Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden, Pamplemousses and laid a wreath at the Samadhi of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam and Sir Anerood Jugnauth.
President Murmu met with PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth:
i.PM Jugnauth hosted a banquet to honour President Droupadi Murmu. During her address at the State Banquet President Murmu announced that the Indian Government has approved a special provision to make 7th –Generation Indian-origin Mauritians eligible for the Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card.
- This initiative will help the younger Mauritians of Indian origin to reconnect with the land of their ancestors and show India’s deep respect for shared cultural values.
ii.President Murmu announced that the Indian Government will support the Government of Mauritius in the redevelopment of the sacred Ganga Talao complex into a religious, cultural and tourist hub.
- Ganga Talao is a crater lake situated in a remote mountain area in Savanne district, Mauritius. It is about 550m(1800 ft) above sea level. It is considered one of the most sacred places for Hindus in Mauritius.
iii.President Droupadi Murmu held a meeting on 11th March 2024 with Mauritian PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth at Port Louis, Mauritius and discussed bilateral ties and ways to boost the historic and deep-rooted partnership between India and Mauritius.
iv.She also gifted a RuPay card to PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth.
Note: In February 2024, PM Narendra Modi along with Mauritius PM Jugnauth virtually inaugurated RuPay card in Mauritius. As of February 2024, a total of 5 countries: Bhutan, Nepal, Mauritius, Singapore and UAE(United Arab Emirates), issues/accepts Indian RuPay cards.
University of Mauritius Confers Honorary Degree of Doctor of Civil Law on President Murmu:
On 12th March 2024, President of India Droupadi Murmu was conferred with the prestigious Honoris Causa Degree of Doctor of Civil Law by the University of Mauritius in recognition of her efforts in strengthening bilateral ties between India and Mauritius.
i.During her address at the event, President Murmu highlighted that the Government of India (GoI) has made it a priority to educate and empower youth to lead India into the “knowledge economy” of tomorrow.
ii.She further mentioned that 400 Mauritians are trained in India every year under Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation(ITEC) programme and about 60 Mauritian students receive scholarships for higher education in India.
56th Mauritius National Day; President Murmu as Chief Guest:
President Droupadi Murmu attended the 56th National Day celebrations of Mauritius as Chief Guest on 12th March 2024. She became the 6th Indian President to attend the Mauritius National Day as Chief Guest since 2000.
National Day of Mauritius 2024 – 12th March
National Day or Independence Day of Mauritius is annually celebrated on March 12 to commemorate Mauritius’ independence from Britain in 1968 and its transition to a republic in 1992.
INS(Indian Naval Ship) Tir, INS Sujata and INS Shardul of the first training squadron of the Indian Navy and Indian CGS(Coastal Guard Ship) Sarathi participated in the National Day celebration of Mauritius.
Inauguration of 14 Small Development India-Assisted Projects
On 13th March 2024, President of India Droupadi Murmu and Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, PM of Mauritius, jointly e-inaugurated 14 Small Development India-Assisted Projects.
Key Points
i.Both leaders virtually laid the foundation stone for the New Forensic Science Laboratory of Mauritius to be built with fund assistance from India.
ii.She highlighted some of the India-assisted development projects in Mauritius such as: the Metro Project, the New Supreme Court Building, 8MW(MegaWatt) Power plant. These projects show India’s commitment towards the development of Mauritius.
iii.Other India-assisted projects include the Upadhyay Training centre, Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital, Subramania Bharati Eye centre, Rajiv Gandhi Science centre, Swami Vivekananda International Conference Centre and World Hindi Secretariat.
Note: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Community Development Projects was signed in January, 2022 to develop 96 small, people-oriented projects across Mauritius. So far, Only 8 projects have been inaugurated.
President Droupadi Murmu witnessed the signing of MoUs between India and Mauritius
President Droupadi Murmu witnessed the signing of 4 agreements between India and Mauritius on 13th March 2024. These MoUs aim to impart further momentum to the robust bilateral partnership between both countries.
- These agreements cover various sectors such as: Financial Services, Civil Services, and Taxation and Investigating agencies.
Four MoUs signed between India and Mauritius:
i.MoU signed between GIFT City (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City), International Financial Services Centres Authority of India and Financial Services Commission Mauritius.
ii.MoU signed between UPSC(Union Public Service Commission), India and Public Service Commission, Mauritius is for sharing experiences and expertise in Public Service recruitment.
iii.MoU between CBI(Central Bureau Investigation), India and Independent Commission Against Corruption(ICAC), Mauritius has been signed for information sharing and capacity-building to combat corruption and money laundering.
iv.Both countries also signed a protocol to amend India-Mauritius Double Tax Avoidance Agreement(DTAA) to make it compliant with Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Minimum Standards.
About Republic of Mauritius:
President– Prithvirajsing Roopun
Prime Minister– Pravind Jugnauth
Capital– Port Louis
Currency– Maurition Rupee
