Bolstering bilateral ties with Mauritius, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritius counterpart Pravind Jugnauth on Thursday, 30 July, jointly inaugurated the new Supreme Court building of the island nation, which was constructed with Indian grant assistance.
The event was held via video conferencing in the presence of senior members of the judiciary from Mauritius and dignitaries from both sides. The new SC building is the first India-assisted infrastructure project within the capital city of Port Louis.
Thanking PM Modi, Jugnauth conveyed solidarity to the Indian government and people in “these trying times”.
Jugnauth also thanked PM Modi in Hindi saying, “Shri Modi ji, hamara desh, hamari janta aapke samarthan ke liye abhari hai (Modi ji, our country and people are thankful for your support.)”
Mauritius at the Heart of India’s Approach to Indian Ocean Region: PM Modi
PM Modi congratulated Jugnauth’s government for effective management of the COVID-19.
“I am happy that India was able to support this effort through timely supplies of medicines and sharing of experiences,” PM Modi said, reported news agency ANI.
“Both India and Mauritius respect our independent judiciaries as important pillars of our democratic systems. This impressive new building, with its modern design and construction, is a mark of this respect,” he said.
PM Modi said that he had first spoken about India’s vision of ‘SAGAR – Security and Growth for All in the Region’ in Mauritius and said that it is “at the heart of India’s approach to the Indian Ocean region.”
India’s Special Economic Package for Mauritius
The new Supreme Court building project is one of the five projects being implemented under the Special Economic Package of $353 million extended by the Government of India to Mauritius in 2016, an Indian government statement said , as quoted by IANS.
The new building will bring all divisions and offices of the Supreme Court of Mauritius into a single building, thereby improving its efficiency.
Spread over an area of more than 4,700 sqm with over 10 floors and a built up area of around 25,000 sqm, the building flaunts a modern design and green features with focus on thermal and sound insulation and high energy efficiency.
In October last year, Modi and Jugnauth had jointly inaugurated the Phase I of the Metro Express Project and the new ENT Hospital project in Mauritius, also built under the Special Economic Package.
Under Phase I of the Metro Express project, construction of 12 km of metro line was completed in September last year, while work on its Phase 2 envisaging 14 km of metro line is in progress. Through the ENT Hospital project, India assisted in the construction of a 100-bed state-of-the-art ENT hospital in Mauritius.
(With inputs from ANI and IANS.)
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