Varanasi, September 12: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday described ties with Mauritius as those of a “family” as the two countries signed a raft of agreements aimed at boosting cooperation in health, education, research and oceanographic studies.
Speaking in Varanasi alongside Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Modi said the partnership was rooted in deep civilisational links and a shared vision of a “free, open, prosperous and secure Indian Ocean.”
“India and Mauritius are not just partners but a family,” Modi said, likening the flow of Indian traditions into the island nation to the “eternal stream of the Ganga.” He added that Mauritius formed an integral part of India’s “Neighbourhood First” policy.
Modi announced a special economic package for Mauritius to support infrastructure, healthcare and job creation, including the opening of the first Jan Aushadhi Kendra, a low-cost pharmacy, outside India. India will also help establish an AYUSH Centre of Excellence, a 500-bed national hospital and a veterinary school and animal hospital.
The countries signed memorandums of understanding covering science and technology, the power sector, small development projects and oceanographic research. A proposed hydrography project will see joint surveys and navigation charting of Mauritius’s exclusive economic zone.
On education, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and the Indian Institute of Plantation Management signed agreements with the University of Mauritius. India also plans to introduce its civil service capacity-building programme, Mission Karmayogi, in Mauritius.
Ramgoolam, who arrived in Varanasi on Wednesday, joined Modi for the signing ceremony and is due to visit the Kashi Vishwanath temple and Ayodhya before departing. On Wednesday evening he witnessed the Ganga Aarti ritual from a river cruise.
