Syllabus:
GS2: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
Context:
Recently, Prime Minister of Mauritius visited India and held bilateral talks with Prime Minister of India reaffirming the unique civilisational ties between 2 countries.
Key Outcomes of the Visit
- Special Economic Package: Includes the redevelopment and restructuring of Port Louis in Mauritius and assistance for the development and surveillance of the Chagos Marine Protected Area.
- Energy Sector: India and Mauritius are jointly advancing a 17.5 MW floating solar PV project at Tamarind Falls, while India is also supporting Mauritius’ energy transition by supplying 100 electric buses.
- Training and Education: Establishment of a new Directorate of Science and Technology in Mauritius and launch of Mission Karmayogi for capacity building.
- Hydrography and maritime security: Both signed a five-year agreement for joint Exclusive Economic Zone surveys, hydrographic data sharing, Coast Guard ship refit, and training 120 Mauritian officers.
Healthcare and Infrastructure: India announced Mauritius’ first Jan Aushadhi Kendra and will also assist in establishing an AYUSH Centre of Excellence and a veterinary school with an animal hospital.
- Fund the construction of new 500-bed Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam National Hospital and the provision of helicopters.
- Digital and Financial Cooperation: India and Mauritius will work to facilitate trade in local currencies, building on the launch of UPI and RuPay cards last year.
- Space cooperation: A Memorandum of Understanding was signed for establishing a Telemetry, Tracking & Telecommunications Station for satellites and launch vehicles, and collaboration in space research, science, and applications.
Area of Cooperation
- Strategic Significance: Mauritius is key to India’s MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across the Region) Vision and the ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.
- Economic Significance: Mauritius is a major FDI source for India, contributing about USD 177 billion since 2000, around 25% of total inflows, boosted by the Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC).
- Humanitarian Aid: India has consistently served as Mauritius’s ‘First Responder,’ extending humanitarian assistance during Covid-19, the Wakashio oil spill, and Cyclone Chido.
- Regional Security: Mauritius, a founding member of the Colombo Security Conclave with India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, actively supports regional security against threats like terrorism, trafficking, and cybercrime.
- People and Cultural Ties: About 70% of Mauritius’s population is of Indian origin, and the legacy of the Girmitiyas (indentured Indian labourers) forms a deep historical and cultural bond between the two nations.