Maldives’s President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has thanked the Indian government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the country got 100,000 doses of India manufactured covid vaccine. The vaccine was sent to Male within 96 hours of its India’s countrywide roll-out. Recently , External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited Maldives on his two-nation tour. He held talks with the top leadership of India’s strategically key maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean region.
The Maldives hold immense importance to India for dual reasons. One is India’s ‘Neighbourhood First Policy ‘and the second is Maldives’ location in the Indian Ocean. India is actively focusing on improving ties with its immediate neighbours.
India, always a friend to Maldives
1) Delivery of COVID 19 vaccines: Maldives has become the first recipient of India’s gift of the covishield vaccines, manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII). A consignment of 1,00,000 doses was received at the Male airport by Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid and Health Minister Ahmed Naseem.
2) Emergency Assistance: Whenever sought, India has provided security cooperation to the Maldives. In 1988, armed mercenaries attempted a coup against President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Under ‘Operation Cactus’ India sent paratroopers and Navy vessels and restored the country’s legitimate leadership.
3) Disaster Management: In 2004, when a tsunami struck the Maldives, India continued to provide crucial assistance to the Maldives.
4) Mission Sagar: India had dispatched INS Kesari, carrying medical assistance, food items to the countries in the Southern Indian Ocean including the Maldives as part of the “Mission Sagar” initiative to deal with the Coronavirus pandemic.
High-level visits and their significance
-In 2012, Mauritian Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam paid a four-day State Visit to India. Five Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) were signed in areas of S&T, education, sports and youth, textiles. A new economic package comprising a Line of Credit(LOC) of US$ 250 million and a grant of US$ 20 million was also announced.
-In 2013, Mauritius President Rajkeswur Purryag paid a State Visit to India. He was the Chief Guest at the 11th PBD Convention, where the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman was conferred on him.
-In 2014, Mauritius PM Navinchandra Ramgoolam was the only non-SAARC leader to be invited to witness the swearing-in ceremony of the new Government in New Delhi.
-In 2015, PM Narendra Modi visited Mauritius as Chief Guest at the Mauritian National Day celebrations. Five agreements in various areas of mutually beneficial cooperation, including Ocean Economy and Traditional Systems of Medicine, were signed.
68% of the Mauritian population is of Indian descent
Indian workers started coming to Mauritius to work on sugar plantations. When slavery was abolished by the British Parliament, large numbers of Indian workers were brought to Mauritius as indentured labourers. November 2, 1834, marks the day when the ship ‘Atlas’ docked in Mauritius carrying the first batch of Indian indentured labourers. This day is now observed in Mauritius as ‘Aapravasi Day’. In all, about half a million Indian indentured labourers are estimated to have been brought into Mauritius.
Visa-free travel to Mauritius
There are nearly 11,000 Indian nationals in Mauritius. To increase tourism inflow from India, the Mauritian Government had introduced a visa-free regime for Indian tourists in October 2004. Indian tourists visiting Mauritius for a period of up to 60 days do not require a visa, provided they can show sufficient funds to cover their stay.
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