Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached Mauritius on a two -day political visit , He will be the chief guest at the 57th National Day celebrations of Mauritius on 12 March. Mauritius Prime Minister Naveen Chandra Ramgulam welcomed him at the airport.
Prime Minister Modi posted on X and thanked the Prime Minister of Mauritius for the reception. After this, Modi reached his hotel in Port Lewis. Where Indian tourists welcomed him by raising slogans of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and waved the tricolor. After this, the women of Mauritius sang traditional Bihari ‘Geet Gawai’ to welcome the Prime Minister. During this, PM Modi was seen enjoying traditional Bhojpuri music and clapping.
Response of people of Indian community after meeting Modi
During this visit, Prime Minister Modi will sign several agreements to further enhance economic and security relations between the two countries. This is an Indian Prime Minister’s second visit to Mauritius after 2015. The Ministry of External Affairs said that a contingent of the Indian Army, a warship of the Navy and the Akash Ganga Sky Diving Team of the Air Force will also participate in the national ceremony at Mauritius.
Mauritius Prime Minister Naveen Chandra Ramgulam said, “It is a privilege for our country to host such a reputed personality, who has agreed to come here as the chief guest despite his busy schedule.” Prime Minister Modi’s visit is a proof of strong relations between the two countries. Many important issues, including global trade and the influence of American tariffs, are likely to be discussed during Prime Minister Modi’s visit. Along with this, cooperation in defense, trade, capacity building and maritime security will also be discussed.
There will be discussion on increasing internal partnership in the Indian Ocean.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Mistry said that the main objective of partnership between India and Mauritius is to increase maritime security. Both countries understand the strategic importance of the Indian Ocean. An MoU can be signed on sharing white shipping information between India and Mauritius during Prime Minister Modi’s visit. White shipping involves exchange of information about the identification and movement of commercial, non-monkey vessels. This helps in strengthening marine security.
India again supported Mauritius’ claim on Chagos Island
Before Prime Minister Modi’s visit, India has once again supported Mauritius’ claim on Chagos Island. The Indian Foreign Secretary said, “Bharat supports Mauritius’ claim on Chagos Islands as it is part of the long tradition of vulnerability which is part of India’s foreign policy.”
There was a dispute between Britain and Mauritius over the Chagos Islands for nearly 50 years. India had been trying to mediate the agreement between the two countries for a long time. With the help of India, there was an agreement between the two sides five months ago. According to the agreement, Chagos Islands with 60 islands was given to Mauritius. The Chagos Islands also includes Diego Garcia Island. The US and Britain have created a joint military base here. According to the agreement, an American-British base will be built here for 99 years.
Why is Mauritius special for India?
To surround India and increase its influence in the Indian Ocean, China has invested money in many port projects from Pakistan’s Gwadar, Hambantota in Sri Lanka to African countries. In response to this, the Government of India launched security and development (Sagar Project) for all in the region to increase its presence in the Indian Ocean.
Under this, India has built the infrastructure required for a military base on the northern island of Mauritius, 3,729 km from Mumbai. This includes runways, jetty and aircraft hangars. From here, India and Mauritius can jointly monitor Chinese military ships and submarines in the Western Indian Ocean.
Most people of Indian origin in Mauritius are from India. About 190 years ago, on 2 November 1834, a ship named Atlas reached Mauritius with Indian workers. Non-Administrative Day is celebrated on 2 November in his memory. 80 percent of the workers who reached Mauritius from Atlas were from Bihar.
They were called Girmatia laborers, that is, laborers brought on contract basis. Its purpose is to develop Mauritius as an agricultural country. Between 1834 and 1924, the British took many Indian laborers to Mauritius. Those who went to Mauritius were not just laborers.
After the British occupation, Mauritius also had a small but rich community of Indian Hindu and Muslim traders. Most of the traders who came here were Gujarati. Many such incidents took place in the 19th century which helped the descendants of laborers to buy land. Their financial condition has improved.
52% of Mauritius’s total population is Hindu. This country is one of the highest per capita income countries in Africa. Mauritius was occupied by France in 1715. Then its economy developed, which was based on Chinese manufacturing.
In the wars between 1803 and 1815, the British managed to capture the island. Mauritius gained independence in 1968 in the President of Sir Sibsagar Ramgulam of Indian origin. In 1992 it became a republic under the Commonwealth.
