Mauritius as a cyber island with Indian help

By Our Special Correspondent

PORT LOUIS (MAURITIUS), MARCH 10. The earlier proposal to set up a cyber city in Mauritius with India's help has now been expanded to developing Mauritius as a cyber island.

The Government of Mauritius is going ahead with conducting a detailed study on this even as the Software Technology Parks of India is to conduct a feasibility study on the cyber city project within 60 days of the date of commissioning.

Both countries see close cooperation in information technology as mutually beneficial and would like to give it the highest priority.

India has already committed a $ 100-million credit line for the cyber city proposed during the January visit of the Mauritian Prime Minister, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, to India, and this has been taken forward during the visit of the Mauritian Minister for Information and Technology to India recently.

During the current visit of the President, Mr. K. R. Narayanan, to Mauritius, the concept of a close cooperation in information technology has been further strengthened and expanded.

It has now been proposed that the whole island nation of Mauritius could be developed as a cyber island with mutual advantage for both countries.

While Mauritius could make the transition from an economy largely dependent on sugar cane and tourism, India would be able to use Mauritius as a base to export its software and other information technology-related products and services taking advantage of the unique bilingual character of Mauritius, its relations with both the French speaking and English speaking worlds.

Its location off the African coast could also be of immense advantage as an exporter of software and other information technology products.

Mauritius sees information technology as the industry to go for in its search for diversification of its economy, especially because it is non-polluting and would in no way endanger the country's pristine beauty.

There were a series of high-level meetings here immediately after Mr. Narayanan was accorded a ceremonial reception this morning.

He called on the President of Mauritius, Mr. Caseem Uteem, and later Sir. Anerood, the Vice-President and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, called on him. Dr. Murali Manohar Joshi, Minister for Science and Technology and Human Resource Development, met his counterpart, Mr. Louis Steven Obeegadoo, and a number of areas of cooperation were identified.

During their meeting, Mr. Narayanan and Mr. Uteem expressed satisfaction that bilateral relations were on a strong footing.

The identity of views on several international issues, especially the need to fight terrorism and religious fundamentalism, was emphasised. An early meeting of the Indo-Mauritian joint commission was suggested to give a new direction to the economic relations.

The commission is jointly chaired by India's External Affairs Minister and the Mauritian Minister for Economic Development. Indications were that information technology, education and culture, and oceanography would be the areas where a new push would be given to cooperation.

Development of Hindi

India has offered to help Mauritius map the ocean to define its continental shelf. Expert help would be given by India to the Mauritian Institute of Oceanography, Dr. Joshi later told reporters. He also said that Mauritius wanted to help development of Hindi worldwide and has offered to host the world Hindi conference in case of difficulties in hosting it in Fiji.

A world Hindi secretariat is also to be set up, and recently, 500 copies of Indian language word processing programmes developed by C-DEC, Pune, have been gifted to Mauritius to help in teaching of Indian languages here. Among the languages spoken and learnt here are Hindi, Tamil and Marathi.

Other areas of cooperation include developing structural linkages between the Mauritius Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Information Technology, joint ventures between Mauritius and Indian private sector companies in information technology, and the development of the Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre and the Indira Gandhi Centre here.

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Section  : International
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