President Kovind reaches Mauritius

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : The President of India Ram Nath Kovind reached Mauritius on March 11, 2018, on the first leg of his State Visit to Mauritius and Madagascar. He was received at the airport by the Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and his entire Cabinet and hundreds of dignitaries and local people.

Later, President Kovind addressed an impressive gathering of students and young people at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute at Moka, Mauritius, where he also paid tributes before a statue of the Mahatma.

Speaking at the Institute, the President said that he was honoured to be in Mauritius for a milestone moment in its history – the 50th anniversary of independence from colonial rule. March 12, marks not just the golden jubilee of the independence of Mauritius but also the 26th anniversary of this nation having become a Republic.

The President said that the first people from India arrived in Mauritius 200 years ago in the 1820s. In 1834, the first indentured labourers from India reached these shores. From those early challenges, the Indian community has come a long way. It has contributed, along with its fellow citizens of diverse backgrounds, in making Mauritius a prosperous country and a model for this region., he said, according to a PIB release. As a steadfast friend, India has been proud to support their efforts.

He said that the Indian community in Mauritius comprises those who trace their roots to different of Indian states, from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh to Tamil Nadu to Gujarat to several others. He urged them to become a living bridge between Mauritius and India, and Mauritius and individual states of India. President Kovind called on the President of Republic of Mauritius Dr Ameenah Gurib-Fakim at State House, near Port Louis.