DISCUSSION ON THE IMPORTANCE OF INDIA-MAURITIUS RELATIONS
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Context
- PM of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth is on an eight-day visit to India.
- PM Jugnauth will attend the opening ceremonies of the WHO-Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar and the Global Ayush Investment and Innovation Summit in Gandhinagar, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Bi-lateral relations between India and Mauritius
Shared cultural Heritage:
- With 68 percent of Mauritius' population being of Indian descent, India and Mauritius share a special bond forged by shared history, genealogy, and cultural heritage.
- Beginning in 1834, the British imported Indians to Mauritius as indentured labourers to work on plantations.
- Mauritius' National Day, March 12, commemorates Mahatma Gandhi's start of the salt satyagraha 85 years ago, a revolutionary move that ended in India's independence in 1947 and served as an inspiration to Mauritius, which gained independence in 1968.
- After 1968, India was given a significant role in Mauritius' international affairs.
Partnership for development:
- The two countries' development collaboration has been a high point in their relationship.
- Mauritius has received many lines of credit from India for infrastructure, skill development, and capacity building.
- India has provided Mauritius a concessional line of credit for important infrastructure projects like the Metro Express (named after Mahatma Gandhi).
- The Social Housing Project, Civil Service College, 8 MW Solar PV Farm project, Supreme Court building, health centres, and distribution of digital tablets to schoolchildren are among the other prominent efforts.
- Among the other notable endeavours are the Social Housing Project, Civil Service College, 8 MW Solar PV Farm project, Supreme Court building, health centres, and distribution of digital tablets to students.
- Unlike China's actions in Sri Lanka and Pakistan, India's initiatives in Mauritius are motivated by the needs and development of the people. India's strategy contrasts sharply with Chinese development assistance.
- Given the susceptibility of a tiny island country like Mauritius to the COVID-19 pandemic's economic repercussions, India has been assisting Mauritius through concessional lines of credit.
Trade Partners:
- India is one of Mauritius's most important commercial partners and exporters of products and services.
- The Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement between India and Mauritius has been signed (CECPA).
- The CECPA is India's first trade agreement with an African country.
- The agreement will include trade in goods, rules of origin, trade in services, technical barriers to trade (TBT), sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, dispute settlement, natural person movement, telecommunications, financial services, customs procedures, and cooperation in other areas.
Relationship between Defense and Security:
- To protect crucial marine channels of communication, India has established substantial defence ties with Mauritius.
- Indian naval ships monitor Mauritius' wide Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on a regular basis, conducting surveillance and combined patrols.
- To strengthen its counter-piracy capabilities, India has given Mauritius an Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv, a Coastal Radar Surveillance System (CSRS), and an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV).
- The Mauritian Police Force sends personnel to Indian Defense Training Institutes every year for training.
- Mauritius recently joined the Colombo Security Conclave, which includes India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.
- Mauritius will collaborate with India in the field of regional security, focusing on maritime security, counter-terrorism, combatting transnational crime, and cyber security.
How is Mauritius strategically important to India?
- Mauritius is the lynchpin of India's vision of the Indian Ocean as a zone of peace, stability, and prosperity, because to its strategic location.
- Mauritius' Exclusive Economic Zone receives a significant portion of India's imports (EEZ).
- The connection between India and Mauritius is crucial for marine security, anti-piracy activities, and the collaborative development of the Indian Ocean's blue economy.
- Mauritius' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) encompasses a big area in the Indian Ocean (2.3 million square kilometres) and has vast marine resources that may be of interest.
- Mauritius is also seen as a gateway to Africa's dynamic continent by India.
- Mauritius would be an important pillar for expanding India's economic and strategic engagement with Africa, since it is a member of regional African economic groupings.
- Notably, the then-Mauritius Prime Minister was the only non-SAARC leader invited to the Prime Minister's swearing-in ceremony in May 2014, and the only non-BIMSTEC leader invited to the Prime Minister's swearing-in ceremony in 2019.
Conclusion
The connection between India and Mauritius is extremely important to both nations, and the present visit is particularly noteworthy. The purpose of the visit is to improve economic and strategic connections between the two countries. The impending visit will simply add to the already strong bilateral ties.
https://newsonair.com/2022/04/17/mauritius-pm-pravind-kumar-jugnauth-to-arrive-in-india-today-on-8-day-visit/
https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/eu-trade-relationships-country-and-region/countries-and-regions/eastern-and-southern-africa-esa_en
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/mauritius-pm-thanks-india-the-pharmacy-of-world/articleshow/90968490.cms
NEWS IN BRIEF: PRELIMS SPECIAL
National Apprenticeship Mela 2022
- The National Apprenticeship Mela 2022 will be held in over 700 sites.
- Skill India is hosting this event in collaboration with the Directorate General of Training.
- The goal of this project is to promote the employment of over one lakh apprentices and to assist companies in identifying and developing the appropriate talent from around the country via adequate training and the provision of diverse practical skillsets.
- The National Apprenticeship Mela will bring together over 4000 enterprises from over 30 industries.
- Retail, power, IT/ITeS, telecom, automotive, electronics, and other industries are among them.
- Additionally, candidates will be able to choose from over 500 vocations, including electrician, welder, beautician, housekeeper, mechanic, and others.
- This apprenticeship mela is open to students who have finished at least Class 5 and have also completed Class 12.
- This event will also be open to ITI students, as well as students who have skill training certificates, graduates, and diploma holders.
https://newsonair.gov.in/News?title=National-Apprenticeship-Mela-2022-organized-at-more-than-700-locations-across-the-country-today&id=439462
Guru Tegh Bahadur
- On the 400th Parkash Purab of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at the Red Fort in New Delhi on April 21, 2022.
- Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621 – 1675) was the ninth of ten Sikh Gurus and the leader of the Sikhs from 1665 until 1675, when he was beheaded.
- Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Sikhism's core book, contains 115 of his hymns.
- Tyag Mal was his actual name, but he was nicknamed Tegh Bahadur following his heroism and bravery in battles against Mughal armies.
- Anandpur Sahib was his creation.
- On the command of Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor, Guru Tegh Bahadur was killed in Delhi.
- Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib and Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in Delhi are the sites of Guru Tegh Bahadur's execution and cremation, respectively.
https://newsonair.gov.in/News?title=PM-to-take-part-in-celebrations-of-400th-Parkash-Parv-of-Sri-Guru-Tegh-Bahadur-Ji-at-Red-Fort-in-New-Delhi-today&id=439515
PLI Scheme for drone, drone components
- The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for the Drone Industry has been approved by the Union Cabinet.
- The Drones and Drone Components PLI Scheme addresses the strategic, tactical, and operational applications of this ground-breaking technology.
- The PLI initiative for drones and drone components has been given a total of INR 120 crore over three financial years.
- A manufacturer of drones and drone components will receive a bonus of up to 20% of the value added.
- The government has decided to maintain the PLI rate at 20% for the next three years, a special treatment reserved for the drone sector.
- The PLI rate decreases every year in other sectors' PLI plans.
- The government has decided to broaden the scope of the incentive programme to include drone-related IT product developers as well.
- Over the course of three years, the PLI for Drones and Drone Components will result in investments of 5,000 crores, a rise in eligible sales of 1500 crores, and an extra 10,000 jobs.
INS Vagsheer
· Following its launch, the submarine INS Vagsheer will undertake a year-long series of tests and trials to guarantee that it is completely combat-ready.
· The submarines of the Scorpene class, the INS Kalvari, INS Khanderi, and INS Karang, have already been commissioned.
· The first submarine, the 'Vagsheer,' was commissioned in December 1974 and named after the sandfish, a dangerous deep-water sea predator of the Indian Ocean. In April 1997, it was deactivated.
· The new submarine is the most recent incarnation of its predecessor, as a ship never ceases to exist in nautical jargon.
· Even when a ship or submarine is decommissioned, a new ship or submarine with the same name replaces it.
