New $680 million package for Mauritius

India on Thursday announced around $680 million special economic package for Mauritius and signed seven agreements to further expand bilateral ties in several critical sectors such as maritime security with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserting that a free and secure Indian Ocean is a shared priority for both sides.

- PTI

Modi hosted his Mauritian counterpart Navinchandra Ramgoolam at his parliamentary constituency in Varanasi, in reflection of rich cultural links between India and Mauritius as he described the two countries as "not just partners but a family".

In a statement, Modi said India remains fully committed to strengthening the security of Mauritius's exclusive economic zone and that both sides will work towards enabling bilateral trade in local currencies following successful launch of unified payments interface and RuPay cards in Mauritius.