Port Louis: In a significant step towards enhancing bilateral cooperation, a delegation from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) paid a three-day visit to Mauritius as part of the India-Mauritius Joint Satellite initiative.
According to the Indian High Commission in Port Louis, the delegation held technical sessions with the Mauritius Research and Innovation Council (MRIC) and conducted the 4th Joint Working Group meeting for the Satellite.
They also conducted a half-day collaborative workshop focusing on the Joint Satellite, which was attended by the Mauritian Minister of Tertiary Education, Science and Research, Kaviraj Sukon, the Indian Deputy High Commissioner to Mauritius, Aparna Ganesan and other officials.
Earlier in March, during his visit to Mauritius, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held comprehensive and productive discussions with his Mauritian counterpart Navinchandra Ramgoolam on the entire gamut of bilateral relations between Mauritius and India.
The two leaders noted that the ongoing space cooperation has immensely benefited both countries and reflected India’s commitment to its special ties with Mauritius.
Prime Minister Ramgoolam conveyed his appreciation to the Government of India for its support towards the joint development of a satellite for Mauritius and acknowledged that this cooperation is a testament to India’s unwavering support for Mauritius on its developmental journey.
In order to further deepen cooperation in the space domain, both leaders agreed to work closely towards the successful development and launch of the India-Mauritius satellite, including requisite training for Mauritian scientists and experts at ISRO.
They also committed to support the implementation of weather and climate forecasting systems at different temporal scales, Wave Rider Buoys and the Multi-hazard Emergency System in Mauritius to help it build a resilient disaster preparedness and response system.
The two leaders also decided to renew the ongoing cooperation between ISRO and MRIC on the ISRO Telemetry and Tracking Centre in Mauritius and to explore new avenues of cooperation in the space and climate change domain to cater to the needs of Mauritius, and associated capacity building support.
Additionally, they agreed to pursue the proposal of the Government of India for a development partnership project aimed at utilising an Earth Observation Application and an interactive computing framework to enable Mauritius to monitor extreme weather events and study climate impact effectively. The project will be carried out by the ISRO and the Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), under the QUAD framework.
IANS
