In news– The Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth jointly inaugurated the India-assisted social housing units project in Mauritius virtually.
About the project-
- As part of the project, 956 social housing units located at two sites were built with an Indian grant of $20 million and a line of credit of $25 million.
- This was one of five large infrastructure projects that were part of an Indian $ 353-million special economic package unveiled in 2016.
- The two leaders virtually laid the foundation stone of the civil service college to be built with a grant of $4.74 million. The college, to be completed in 18 months, will build capacity in public sector management and governance.
- The 8-MW solar farm at Tamarind Falls, to be built with a line of credit of $500 million from India’s Exim Bank, is expected to be completed in 11 months. The facility will be the largest solar farm in Mauritius and will generate 14GWh a year.
- The plant will help Mauritius achieve its target of having 60% of renewables in its energy mix by 2030, and reduce the use of coal and oil imports.
- The two agreements also included a line of credit for $190 million from India’s Exim Bank for the metro rail and other infrastructure projects.
- The first phase of the metro rail was inaugurated in 2019 and the second and third phases of the flagship project will be completed by the end of 2022 and work is already underway on the fourth phase.
- During the same time, the Prime Minister of Mauritius proposed that one of the major stations on the metro rail system will be named after Mahatma Gandhi to express the gratitude of Mauritius.
About Mauritius-
- It is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about 2,000 kilometers off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar.
- It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Agaléga and St. Brandon.
- The capital and largest city, Port Louis, is located in Mauritius, where most of the population is concentrated.
- Its currency is Mauritian rupee.
- Mauritius Island is relatively young geologically, having been created by volcanic activity some 8 million years ago.
- Together with Saint Brandon, Réunion, and Rodrigues, the island is part of the Mascarene Islands.
- The highest peak is in the south-west, Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire at 828 metres.
- Diplomatic relations between India and Mauritius were established in 1948.
- Mauritius maintained contacts with India through successive Dutch, French and British occupation.
- More than 68% of the Mauritian population are of Indian origin, most commonly known as Indo-Mauritians.
Further reading:https://journalsofindia.com/india-signs-defence-and-trade-cecpa-agreements-with-mauritius/
Source: Hindustan Times
