Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth jointly inaugurated the Social Housing Units Project in Mauritius on Thursday, effectively laying the groundwork for the Civil Service College and the 8MW solar PV farm project in Mauritius.
Speaking at the event, Prime Minister Modi highlighted the vision driving India’s development assistance, guided by the needs and priorities of our friends and respect for sovereignty, while promoting people’s well-being and strengthening the country’s capacities.
“Today, our robust development partnership has emerged as an important pillar of our close relationship. Mauritius is an excellent example of India’s approach to partnership for development, which is based on our partners’ needs and priorities and respects their sovereignty,” said Prime Minister Modi.
According to a press statement, in May 2016 the Government of India had awarded a US$353 million grant to the Government of Mauritius as a Special Economic Package (SEP) to implement, among other things, five priority projects identified by the Government of Mauritius. These were: the Metro Express project, the Supreme Court building, the new ENT hospital, the delivery of digital tablets to elementary school children and the social housing project. With today’s inauguration of the social housing project, all of the high-profile projects under the SEP have been implemented.
Prime Minister Jugnauth of Mauritius dedicated one of the major stations to Mahatma Gandhi. He said: “To thank India’s support for the Metro Express project, my government has decided to name one of the major metro stations Mahatma Gandhi Station.”
Two letters of intent/agreements exchanged at the joint inauguration and launch of development projects in Mauritius:
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of Mauritius on Indian Grant Aid for the Implementation of Small Development Projects.
- USD 190 million credit line agreement between Export Import Bank of India (EXIM) and SBM (Mauritius) Infrastructure Development Company Ltd for ongoing Metro Express project and other infrastructure projects
Regarding the HICDPs (High Impact Community Development Projects), the MoU was drafted similarly to HICDP agreements with some other countries.
Projects under this MOU are primarily related to socio-economic development, particularly the creation of infrastructure in the areas of education, basic health care and community development. Livelihood activities, skills development, renewable energy, preservation of environmental and cultural heritage, empowerment of women and children’s well-being, and disaster risk reduction should be the main themes of such projects.
The implementation of small development projects will help reach different regions of Mauritius both on the mainland and on the outer islands (Agalega and Rodrigues) and accommodate smaller projects with shorter development time and high importance, officials said.
The 190 million loan agreement between EXIM Bank and SBM Mauritius covers the Metro Express project. India has provided US$527 million (US$267 million as grant and US$260 million as LOC) in financial support to the Metro Express project. The 26km metro project will be implemented in two phases – Phase I, linking Port Louis and Rose Hill, was completed and inaugurated jointly electronically by the two Prime Ministers on 3 October 2019. Phase II, linking Rose Hill to Curepipe, is underway and is expected to be completed by December 2022. A preliminary part of Phase II, i.e. between Rose Hill and Quatre Bornes (approx. 2.7 km), was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Mauritius on June 20, 2021.
According to the press release, “The Civil Service College project at Reduit will be funded by US$4.74 million in grant support under a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2017 during the visit of Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth to India. Once built, this will be a fully equipped and functional facility for Mauritius officials to conduct various training and skills development programmes. It will further strengthen institutional links with India.”
The statement adds: “The 8MW solar PV farm project involves the installation of 25,000 PV cells to generate around 14GWh of green energy annually, around 10,000 Mauritian households with an estimated avoidance of 13,000 tons of CO2- emissions per year and help Mauritius mitigate the effects of climate change.”
Mauritius is a key partner in India’s SAGAR maritime cooperation vision – security and prosperity for all in the region. Prime Minister Modi emphasized this in his speech when discussing cooperation during COVID-19 and the importance of Mauritius as a partner.
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