Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritian counterpart Navinchandra Ramgoolam met in Varanasi on Thursday to review the bilateral relationship and agreed on a special economic package for the island nation.
Modi said the package would strengthen the infrastructure in Mauritius, generate jobs and enhance the healthcare system.
“The first Jan Aushadhi Kendra (where generic medicines are sold at affordable prices) outside India has already been opened in Mauritius. We decided today that India will help build a 500-bed Ayush Centre of Excellence, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam National Hospital and a veterinary school and animal hospital there,” Modi said.
Ramgoolam, on a state visit to India from September 9 to 16, is currently on a two-day tour of Varanasi.
Modi said projects such as the Chagos Marine Protected Area, the ATC tower at the SSR International Airport, highways and ring roads would be taken forward in Mauritius.
“India is helping Mauritius in its energy transition. We are giving 100 electric buses to them. Ten buses have already been delivered. We have decided to help them set up a 17.50MW floating solar power plant in the Tamarind Falls,” he added.
Varanasi jab
A journalist in Varanasi, who didn’t want to be identified, said instead of being holed up in the hotel, Modi should have toured his constituency where several places have been flooded by the swollen Ganga.
“He should have visited Assi Ghat and Dashaswamedh Ghat, where a thick layer of mud has covered the steps. The entire area has been closed off to devotees and tourists. Over ₹30,000 crore has been spent on Varanasi’s development in the last 10 years, but the situation is so dire that even the Prime Minister doesn’t want to tour his own constituency,” the journalist said.