India Reaches out to Seychelles
a boost to bilateral relations
- India extended a $50-million line of credit and a $25-million grant to Seychelles during President Pratibha Patil’s three-day visit in a bid to forge economic and strategic ties with this island nation in the Indian Ocean. It has also offered to set up a mono rail project, a solar power cluster and a dam in this country of 116 islands.
- An official said India would also help establish the financial and online service sector and the laying of an undersea optical fibre network by June.
- In the field of environment protection and renewable energy, India would be setting up a solar power cluster. Besides, for promoting human resource development, it would reserve 41 slots or seats in various graduate, post-graduate and other programmes for students of Seychelles.
- India would also promote infrastructure and public transport by conducting a feasibility study for a mono rail system on the main island of Mahe.
- In defence cooperation, India had in February offered to provide one Dornier aircraft. It would also be setting up a Coastal Surveillance Radar System with the Automatic Identification System through Bharat Electronics Limited within the next six to eight months. This would help track unidentified vessels in the seas, and help curb piracy.
- Two agreements related to Youth and Sports Affairs and training of Seychelles police personnel by Bureau of Police Research and Development were also signed.
