Annual Report 2011 - 2012

Annual Report 2011 - 2012
were received with great warmth and affection at all official
functions. The President and the Mauritius Prime Minister
jointly unveiled the bust of Smt Indira Gandhi at the Indira
Gandhi Centre for Indian Culture (IGCIC), thus symbolising
the deep regard, affinity and affection for Indian culture
that is prevalent in Mauritius. A Joint Business Meeting, held
during the State visit of the President brought together the
57-member-strong business delegation, comprising captains
of industry and commerce from India with their Mauritian
counterparts.
India continued to be the largest source of imports for
Mauritius, whereas Mauritius continued to be the largest
source of FDI for India. India's exports to Mauritius were
valued at US$ 801.56 million for 2010-11 and comprised
largely of petroleum products. Other export items included
cotton, pharmaceuticals, cereals, carpets, electrical machinery
and equipment parts, apparel and clothing accessories, etc.
India's imports from Mauritius were valued at US$ 16.51
million and comprised scrap metal, optical, photographic
and precision instruments, and aluminium and articles
thereof. Mauritius was the single largest source of FDI into
India during the financial year 2009-10, with FDI equity
inflows amounting to US$ 10.376 billion or 40.16 per cent
of total FDI equity inflows during the period. According to
Reserve Bank of India data, India's outward FDI (cleared
proposals) to Mauritius amounted to US$ 2.05 billion,
approximately 10 per cent of the total outward FDI during
the financial year 2008-09.
A greater number of slots were offered to Mauritius under
ITEC (120 under ITEC I and 66 under ITEC II) for 2011-
12, and IAFS training and capacity building courses. Sixteen
Mauritian officials from various Ministries and Departments,
including the Mauritius Police Force, Road Development
Authority, Central Electricity Board and Central Water
Authority, availed of the IAFS-1 Special Training Courses
in 2010-11. IGCIC organised several cultural functions and
hosted various visiting cultural troupes from India, under
the Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) 2010-13.
Mauritian under-graduate, post-graduate and doctoral
students continued to avail of ICCR and other Government
of India scholarship schemes in large numbers.
At the request of the Mauritian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
the Ambassador, Shri Bhaskar Balakrishnan, conducted a
Course on Speech Writing for 38 Mauritian Government
officials from 12-16 September, 2011.
On 2 October, 2011, Gandhi Jayanti was observed with due
solemnity all over the island. The Mahatma Gandhi Institute
(MGI) organised the traditional function, including the
garlanding of the Gandhi statue. IGCIC commemorated
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Gandhi Jayanti on 3 October, 2011 at a function where the
Mauritius Vice Prime Minister, A K Bachoo, the Minister of
Local Government, Mr Hervé Aimée, and the former Vice
President, Mr Raouf Bundhun, were present. The Visiting
ICCR scholar, Mr Mahendra Singh Karna, delivered the
Mahatma Gandhi lecture at MGI on 4 October, 2011.
The Foreign Minister, Dr Arvin Boolell, led the Mauritian
delegation at the 11th Council of Ministers Meeting of IOR-
ARC held in Bengaluru on 15 November, 2011. He also
met the External Affairs Minister, Shri S M Krishna, on 14
November, 2011. The Mauritian media gave wide and
positive coverage to the IOR-ARC meeting and laid special
emphasis on India's assumption of the Chair of the
Association, and the appointment of Shri K V Bhagirath as
Secretary General of IOR-ARC.
The Garden Reach Shipyards & Engineers-Government of
Mauritius Agreement for the design, construction and supply
of an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) was signed in Mauritius
on 4 March, 2011, during the visit of an MOD/GRSE
delegation.
On 20 September, 2011, an MoU was signed between the
Mauritius Co-operative Agricultural Federation Ltd.
(MCAF) and the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative
(IFFCO), for the setting up of a bio-fertiliser plant in
Mauritius.
Mozambique
India's relations with Mozambique continued to be warm
and friendly. High level exchange of visits continued between
the two countries in 2011. The Defence Minister, Mr Filipe
Jacinto Nyussi, accompanied by a delegation that included
the Navy Chief visited India in June 2011. The Education
Minister, Mr Zeferine Martins, visited India in July 2011.
The Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr Eduardo Koloma, visited
India in November 2011 to attend the IOR-ARC Foreign
Ministers Conference held in Bengaluru.
India's Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing
Industries, Shri Arun Yadav, visited Mozambique in May
2011.
The EXIM Bank of India signed agreements with
Mozambique's Ministry of Finance in 2011 under Lines of
Credit of US$ 20 million for a project on enhancing
productivity of rice, wheat and maize cultivation and of US$
13 million for setting up of a solar photovoltaic modules
manufacturing plant in Mozambique.
India's assistance to Mozambique in the field of training
continued and several Mozambican nationals attended
special training programmes under India-Africa Forum