Agalega Islands & Its Significance

Context

Prime Minister of India and his Mauritius counterpart virtually inaugurated an air strip and a jetty to ensure maritime security and connectivity to Mauritius’ Agalega islands.

About

• PM Modi said the two countries are operating actively toward making sure security, prosperity and stability in the Indian Ocean location.
• These tasks will “decorate the island’s capacity and abilities in marine surveillance and security, even as also meeting development objectives”.
• Since 2003, several tries have been made to improve the air strip, however nothing concrete materialised.
• The move to develop and build the brand new airstrip and the jetty got here after PM Modi’s visit to the island country in March 2015.
• PM Modi flagged concerns over challenges in the Indian Ocean place and said India and Mauritius are “natural partners” in the maritime area to cope with them.

About Agalega Islands

• Agalega island lies about 650 nautical miles (1,050 km) north of Mauritius.
• It is a set of  islands with a total region of 26 square km and a native population of approximately 300 people.

Significance of Agalega Islands

• The improvement of the Agalega Islands is inside the socio-monetary and countrywide security hobby of Mauritius, and also aligns with India’s maritime imaginative and prescient.
• The islands, a dependency of Mauritius, were now not advanced for many years.
• The sustainability and nicely-being of the islands’ population presented a mission, as even the most basic needs required referral to Mauritius.
• The near absence of any professional authorities or safety presence was a critical vulnerability.
• This vulnerability may be transformed to electricity via developing the islands and growing facilities that would operate ships and aircraft.
• Building a jetty and an airstrip turned into therefore considered vital by the government of Mauritius.
• They chose India as their preferred development partner.

Why Did Mauritians Choose India?

• Ties between India and Mauritius pass again to 1948, twenty years before the country’s independence from Britain.
• Seventy according to cent of the inhabitants of Mauritius are of Indian foundation, and the two countries proportion deep historic, social, and cultural bonds.
• The regular feature within the records of bilateral relations has been friendship and trust at all degrees — the political management, the diplomatic and military communities, in addition to among the peoples of the two countries.
• The development of those strategically located islands required consideration greater than something else. Hence, India was the obvious choice.

Significance for India

• The goodwill and trust between the two nations may be similarly improved.
• India will welcome possibilities to in addition broaden these islands in collaboration with Mauritius because the latter deems suitable.
• The joint development of Agalega underscores India’s commitment to the vision of Security and Growth for All inside the Region (SAGAR).
• It will indicate to other maritime neighbours that India is a benign and pleasant country. That respects the sovereignty of impartial countries.
• India would love to emerge as the favored improvement and security companion in the Indian Ocean Region.

Source: The Indian Express

UPSC Mains Practice Question

Q.Analyse India’s maritime security. How the development of Agaléga figures in India’s vision for its maritime neighbourhood? (150 words)

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