In Anerood Jugnauth, India has lost a ‘special’ friend

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<strong>With the death of former </strong><strong>Mauritius </strong><strong>President and Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth, India has lost a 'special' friend who took the relationship between the two nations to a great height.</strong></p>
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Jugnauth, the longest-serving Prime Minister of Mauritius, passed away on Thursday at the age of 91. Born on 29th March 1930, Jugnauth, also popularly known as SAJ, became one of the most remarkable and respected politicians of the country by serving Mauritius twice as President of the Republic and six times as Prime Minister.<br />
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"Padma Vibhushan Sir Anerood Jugnauth, a tall leader & statesman, was the architect of modern Mauritius. A proud Pravasi Bharatiya, he helped forge the special bilateral relationship that will benefit from his legacy. Condolences to his family & the people of Mauritius. Om Shanti," tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.<br />
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Jugnauth has been a pioneer in the relentless fight for the decolonisation of the Chagos Archipelago and in promoting the welfare of the Chagossian community. His struggle led to the ruling of the International Court of Justice that the Chagos Archipelago forms an integral part of the territory of the Republic of Mauritius.<br />
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It was also under his leadership that the India-Mauritius collaborations grew more substantive than ever.<br />
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"Our relationship has always lived up to the creed of friendship. India and Mauritius have not only stood for each other, but they have also stood by each other – through our challenges and successes. I have always said that if there is one country with full claims on us, it is Mauritius," said PM Modi during the banquet hosted by Jugnauth in the Mauritian capital in March 2015.<br />
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While visiting Mauritius in February earlier this year, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had called on the former Prime Minister to brief him on the progress in India-Mauritius relations.<br />
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"Deeply grieved to learn about the passing away of Sir Anerood Jugnauth, former President & Prime Minister of Mauritius. A towering leader and a special friend of India. Still recall his warmth  and graciousness the last time I called on him. Deepest condolences to the Jugnauth family and the people of Mauritius. Om Shanti," tweeted Jaishankar on the demise of a leader who was still guiding many through his vision and leadership.<br />
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Last year, when Jugnauth was awarded Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award, PM Modi had described it as "a token of affection from 130 crore Indians" for his continuous efforts towards deepening friendship between India and Mauritius.<br />
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The former President and PM was also honoured as the First Class Order of the Rising Sun (Japan) in 1988, Dr Honoris Causa, University of Aix-en-Provence in 1985 and Grand Officier de l'Ordre de la Légion d'Honneur (France) in 1990.</p>
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As Jaishankar said during his visit, India has always stood by Mauritius through thick and thin; before, now and ever after.</p>
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Over the past many decades, India has extended several Lines of Credit to Mauritius to assist in the development of its infrastructure, human resource, skills development, capacity building, project appraisal, etc.<br />
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Several Indian Public Sector Enterprises are currently functioning in Mauritius, including The Bank of Baroda (BoB), Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), and New India Assurance Corporation (NIAC), India Handloom House, Telecommunications Consultant India Ltd (TCIL), Indian Oil (Mauritius) Limited (IOML), Mahanagar Telephone (Mauritius) Ltd. and State Bank of India (Mauritius) Limited. Besides their core activities, the PSUs have also contributed to various activities in Mauritius under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) schemes.<br />
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The presence of a sizable Indian diaspora also continues to play its role as a 'living bridge' between both the countries.<br />
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Given their shared commitment to ensuring peace and prosperity in the Indian Ocean Region and beyond, India has also signed a 100 Million Dollar soft loan to enable Mauritius to procure an aircraft, a helicopter and other defence assets that will help to enhance its maritime security.</p>
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