PM Modi Conferred with Mauritius Highest Civilian Award

The Mauritius government conferred its highest civilian award, “The Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean”, to the visiting Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on 12th March 2025. Prime Minister Modi is on a two-day visit to Mauritius on 11 & 12 March 2025. 

This is his second official visit to Mauritius after 2015.

During his visit, eight Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed between the two countries, and PM Modi was also the Chief Guest of the National Day celebration of Mauritius.

At the end of the visit, both countries agreed to elevate their partnership to the level of an Enhanced Strategic Partnership.

PM Modi greeted with Geet Gawai Programme 

Prime Minister Modi was welcomed in Mauritius with the traditional “geet gawai” programme hosted in his honour.

Geet Gawai is a traditional Bhojpuri welcome musical ensemble that embodies the rich cultural heritage brought to Mauritius by women from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh.

In December 2016, geet gawai was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Mauritius's highest award for PM Modi 

The President of Mauritius, Dharambeer Gokhool, conferred the country’s highest civilian award, “The Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean”, to Prime Minister Modi during the 57th National Day celebration of Mauritius at Port Louis. 

Port Louis is the capital of Mauritius.

PM Modi is the first Indian and 5th global leader to receive the Mauritius award.

PM Modi, Chief Guest of 57th Mauritius National Day Celebration 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief guest of the 57th National Day celebration of Mauritius on 12th March 2025. 

National Day is celebrated in Mauritius on 12th March to mark its independence from the United Kingdom in 1968.

It was the second time that PM Modi was the chief guest at the National Day celebration of Mauritius. He was the chief guest during the 2015 National Day celebration.

As per tradition, INS Imphal of the Indian Navy arrived in Mautius to participate in the National Day Parade in Mauritius.

INS Imphal is the third ship to be built under Project 15B or the Visakhapatnam-class destroyer of the Indian navy. It is an indigenous ship built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai.

Meeting with Political Leadership 

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Mauritius on 11th March, and his plane landed at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport in Port Louis.
• He was received by Mauritius Prime Minister Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam and his cabinet members at the airport.
• Prime Minister Modi later met the Mauritius President Dharambeer Gokhool at the State House.
• In a special gesture, Prime Minister Modi handed over OCI (Overseas Citizenship of India) cards to President Gokhool and his wife, Vrinda Gokhool.
• Prime Minister Modi later visited the Ayurveda Garden in the State House. It was established with the help of the Indian government.

Signing of 8 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) 

During PM Modi’s visit to Mauritius, eight MoUs were signed between India and Mauritius.

These MoUs are as follows:

1. Framework to promote the use of local currency for cross border transactions. The agreement was signed by the Reserve Bank of India and the Bank of Mauritius. 
2. Agreement between State Bank of India (SBI) to lend to the Mauritius government.
3. MoU on cooperation in the field of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME).
4. Between Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service, Ministry Of External Affairs, and Mauritius Foreign Ministry.
5. Cooperation between the National Centre for Good Governance of India and Mauritius’s Ministry of Public Service and Administrative Reforms.
6. Sharing of White Shipping Information between Indian Navy and Government of Mauritius.
7. Cooperation between  Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), and Mauritius's government Department of Continental Shelf, Maritime Zones Administration and Exploration.
8. MoU between the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) and Financial Crimes Commission of the Republic of Mauritius.

About Mauritius 

Mauritius is an African country.

It is an archipelago situated in the Indian Ocean.

The majority of its population are ethnic Indians, mainly from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

The majority of the population in the country are Hindus. 

Capital: Port Louis 

Currency: Mauritian Rupee

Prime Minister: Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam 

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