India pledges $680 mn package for Mauritius

In its continuing efforts to sustain its influence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) amid an expanding Chinese footprint, India on Thursday pledged $680 million special economic package for Mauritius, including $25 million budgetary assistance for 2025-26 (FY26).

- ARCHIS MOHAN

After the delegation-level talks between Indian and Mauritian officials, led by the prime ministers (PMs) of the two countries, PM Narendra Modi said the two nations are working to enable bilateral trade in local currencies following successful launch of UPI and RuPay cards in Mauritius.

Modi said India is committed to protect the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. India's assistance, in the form of grants and lines of credit, also includes support for development and surveillance of the marine protected area of the Chagos archipelago, which houses a US-British airbase on the island of Diego Garcia.