India, Mauritius Announce $680 Million Special Economic Package
Leaders seal grant and credit projects for healthcare, infrastructure, and maritime security.
- Total package: ~USD 680 million (MUR 30 bn).
- USD 215 mn grants for hospital, AYUSH centre, veterinary school, helicopters.
- USD 440 mn grant-cum-LOC for airport ATC tower, M4 Motorway, Ring Road, port equipment.
- Plans for Port of Mauritius redevelopment and Chagos Marine Protected Area surveillance.
- India to provide USD 25 mn budgetary assistance this year.
GG News Bureau
Varanasi, 11th Sept: India and Mauritius on Thursday unveiled a Special Economic Package worth nearly USD 680 million to bolster bilateral development and strategic cooperation. The announcement followed talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Mauritian Prime Minister Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam in New Delhi.
Under the agreement, India will fund key projects through grants and a mix of grants and lines of credit, responding to requests from the Mauritius government.
Grant-based initiatives include construction of the new Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam National Hospital, an AYUSH Centre of Excellence, a Veterinary School and Animal Hospital, and the provision of helicopters—together estimated at USD 215 million (MUR 9.8 billion).
Projects combining grants and credit, valued at about USD 440 million (MUR 20.1 billion), cover the completion of a new ATC tower at SSR International Airport, development of the M4 Motorway and Ring Road Phase II, and acquisition of port equipment for Cargo Handling Corporation Ltd.
Strategically, both nations agreed in principle to collaborate on the redevelopment of the Port of Mauritius and the surveillance of the Chagos Marine Protected Area. India will also extend USD 25 million in budgetary assistance during the current financial year.
