India-Mauritius Relations
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General Studies Paper II: India and its Neighbourhood, Bilateral Groupings & Agreements |
Why in News?
The Prime Minister of Mauritius Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam will be on a first Bilateral Foreign Visit to India from 9 to 16 September 2025. During this visit both the countries will hold discussions to advance the strategic partnership.
Key Outcomes of the Mauritius Prime Minister’s State Visit to India (As of 11 September 2025)
- Science & Technology: A new memorandum has been signed to expand cooperation in science and technology. This will create stronger opportunities for research collaborations and innovation-driven initiatives between the two countries.
- Marine Research: Both the countries signed a memorandum to strengthen studies in the Indian Ocean. This will promote better understanding of marine biodiversity, sustainable fishing practices, and the impact of climate change on coastal areas.
- Good Governance: Both governments have agreed to strengthen capacity building in governance and civil services training. Under the initiative Karmayogi Bharat, India will share experience in digital governance, civil service training, and capacity building.
- Energy Sector: A memorandum has been signed to enhance collaboration in the energy sector. Through this agreement, both sides will explore possibilities in solar energy, grid stability, and energy storage solutions to promote sustainable growth.
- Development Projects: India has agreed to support the second phase of small development projects in Mauritius. These projects cover community development, education, health facilities, and social infrastructure.
- Hydrography Agreement: The agreement on hydrography cooperation has been renewed, reaffirming both countries’ commitment to safe navigation and maritime security. This cooperation will help Mauritius and India to support regional maritime activity.
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- Renewable Energy: A major proposal has been announced to set up a 17.5 MW floating solar photovoltaic project at Tamarind Falls in Mauritius to support renewable energy in partner nations. This project will be supported by Indian expertise in solar technology.
- Space Research: India and Mauritius have decided to collaborate in areas such as setting up tracking and telecommunication stations for satellites and space vehicles. This will provide Mauritius access to space-based applications for weather prediction, navigation, and resource mapping.
- Academic Partnership: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras and the Indian Institute of Plantation Management will collaborate with Mauritius to create opportunities for students and faculty exchanges, joint academic programs, and shared research.
Historical Ties Between India-Mauritius
- Indian people contacted Mauritius in the early 18th century. When the British took control of Mauritius in 1810. They needed a labour force to work sugar plantations after slavery ended. For that, Indian artisans and labourers went there under contract labour.
- The first group of Indians arrived onboard ship “Atlas” in November 1834. Between 1834 and 1920, nearly half a million workers from India migrated to Mauritius under indenture contracts.
- Mauritius built the Aapravasi Ghat immigration depot to receive indentured workers. This place became a symbol of Indian origin, migration, struggle, and settlement.
- In 2006 UNESCO inscribed Aapravasi Ghat as a World Heritage Site. That helped preserve the memory of those who came.
- Mahatma Gandhi also visited Mauritius in 1901 to advocate education and political empowerment for the Indian community there.
Political and Diplomatic Relations Between India-Mauritius
- India established formal diplomatic relations with Mauritius in 1948, before Mauritius achieved full independence.
- Mauritius acquired independence from the United Kingdom on 12 March 1968. From that moment India became an important partner in Mauritius’ foreign policy.
- Mauritius has often looked to India as a reliable friend in matters relating to sovereignty, decolonisation, and political support.
- India supported Mauritius’ transition to self-governance and continues to support its positions at international forums.
- Both countries share values rooted in democracy, pluralism, rule of law and respect for human rights.
- Leaders from India and Mauritius have engaged in regular high-level visits over many decades. These visits have bolstered trust.
- Mauritius consistently supports India in international bodies such as the United Nations and the Indian Ocean Commission.
- India also supports Mauritius in issues such as its sovereignty claims over the Chagos Archipelago and supports development goals through multi-faceted diplomacy.
- Both countries act together on climate change and reflect common interests of island states and Global South nations.
Economic and Trade Cooperation Between India-Mauritius
- Bilateral Trade: Trade between India and Mauritius has expanded steadily in the last two decades. By the financial year 2023-24, this figure reached USD 851.13 million. During this year, Indian exports to Mauritius touched USD 778.03 million, while Mauritian exports to India stood at USD 73.10 million.
- Indian Exports: India’s export basket to Mauritius has been diverse but petroleum products dominated the trade from 2007 to mid-2019. India continues to export pharmaceuticals, cereals, cotton, shrimps, prawns, and bovine meat.
- Indian Imports: Mauritius, though smaller in export capacity, has developed niche markets in India. Its major export items include vanilla, medical devices, needles, aluminium alloys, scrap paper, refined copper, and men’s cotton shirts.
- FDI Flows: Mauritius has been a very important source of foreign direct investment (FDI) into India since 2000. Cumulative FDI from Mauritius to India during this period has reached nearly USD 177 billion, which accounts for about one-fourth of total inflows. In the first half of 2024-25, the inflows stood at USD 5.34 billion, making it the second largest source of FDI after Singapore.
- Indian Investments: Indian companies have invested in Mauritius. In the last five years, Indian businesses have invested more than USD 200 million in the Mauritian economy. These investments span across infrastructure, services, finance, and technology sectors. At present, 11 Indian Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) are operational in Mauritius.
- CECPA: Under Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA), India’s exports to Mauritius have steadily grown from USD 1.1 million in 2021 to USD 4 million in 2024, while Mauritian exports to India increased from USD 1 million in 2022 to USD 7 million in 2024.
Strategic Importance of Mauritius for India
- Maritime Significance: Mauritius occupies a key position in the Indian Ocean, serving as a gateway to critical Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC) that connect India with Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Its location allows India to monitor maritime traffic, ensure the security of trade routes, and safeguard the transport of energy resources and goods.
- Regional Security: India launched the SAGAR initiative in 2015 to ensure Security and Growth for All in the Region, which was later expanded as MAHASAGAR. Under this initiative, India supports Mauritius to strengthen maritime security, and coastal surveillance. This initiative helps India to respond to threats such as piracy, illegal fishing, and trafficking.
- Countering Rivalries: Mauritius also plays an important role in India’s strategic calculus in the face of expanding Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean. India collaborates with Mauritius to maintain influence in this vital corridor and ensure balance in regional geopolitics. Mauritius’ support allows India to maintain a presence in the southwestern Indian Ocean.
- Gateway for Trade: Mauritius serves as an important gateway for India’s trade and investment in Africa. Indian companies often use Mauritius as a base for investment, banking, and trade flows into the continent. This enables India to expand economic engagement with multiple African countries.
Other Bilateral Relations Between India-Mauritius
- Demographic Links: Indian-origin people form nearly 70% of Mauritius’s population of 1.2 million, while Creoles make up 28%, Sino-Mauritians 3%, and Franco-Mauritians 1%. These deep-rooted links create a natural foundation for strong people-to-people and cultural connections.
- Indian Heritage: India has supported Mauritius in establishing major cultural centers. The Indira Gandhi Centre for Indian Culture (1987) is India’s largest abroad, offering classes in music, dance, and yoga to over 2,500 students annually. The Mahatma Gandhi Institute (1976), the Rabindranath Tagore Institute (2000) are promoting Indian traditions.
- Infrastructure Projects: In 2016, India gave USD 353 million for five priority projects, including the Metro Express and the Supreme Court Building. In 2017, a USD 500 million Line of Credit financed ten projects like solar power plants, social housing, and police infrastructure, with seven projects completed to date.
- Health Initiatives: In 2024, new health facilities, including a Mediclinic, the first overseas Jan Aushadi Kendra, and an Area Health Centre, were opened to strengthen healthcare access.
- Education: Mauritian students have participated in India’s Know India Programme since 2004, with 385 students in 64 batches. The India-Africa Maitri Scholarship Scheme provides 60 scholarships annually, while around 200 students enroll in Indian universities on self-financing. Distance learning under e-Vidya Bharti Arogya Bharti also supports Mauritian students. Approximately 2,316 Indian students currently study in Mauritius in fields such as medicine, hotel management, and business studies
- Indian Community: Mauritius hosts 26,357 Indian nationals and 13,198 OCI cardholders. A special OCI provision allows Mauritians with Indian lineage up to the 7th generation to avail benefits. Mauritius introduced a visa-free regime in 2004 for Indian tourists for up to one month.
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