Post-Budget Indo-Mauritian High-Level Talks Scheduled 1st July at the PMO

A special envoy from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Mauritius for a 24-hour mission ahead of Navin Ramgoolam’s upcoming official visit to India. The visit aims to finalize a package deal between the two countries.

Due to the Indian envoy’s arrival on this 1st July for high-level Indo-Mauritian talks, the National Assembly session has been postponed until Friday, 4th July.

Last week, the Order Paper included parliamentary questions about expenses for ministerial missions from 2019 to November last year, details about MauBank’s transaction adviser, and fees paid to Pravind Jugnauth’s legal representative, Me Shamilla Sonah-Ori. However, the session has now been delayed.

Upon arriving this 1st July, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will meet first with Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam, followed by a plenary working session.

The main goal of his visit is to prepare in detail for Ramgoolam’s upcoming official trip to India. The Indian envoy will stay in Mauritius for 24 hours.

Recently, close advisors to the Prime Minister have been working intensively to organize the visit and determine the key topics for discussion during Modi and Ramgoolam’s upcoming meeting.

While the exact dates of the August visit are not yet confirmed, the government is also cautious about revealing political or diplomatic priorities and has not disclosed the “shopping list” of Mauritian issues to be addressed.

After reviewing the current state of relations with New Delhi, Ramgoolam plans to hold consultations to finalize pending budget issues.

The primary focus is on establishing a package for the Basic Retirement Pension (BRP) for those aged 65, which must be agreed upon quickly by two sub-committees—one chaired by the Prime Minister and the other by Social Security Minister Ashok Subron. These committees will work within the post-budget margin of maneuver.

Before the Cabinet approves these pension reforms—expected either this Friday 4th June or next week—the committees will need to merge to ensure measures are aligned before amendments are included in the upcoming Finance Bill.

Additionally, there are discussions regarding budget measures related to smart cities. The Economic Development Board may be involved in consultations with the Finance Ministry this week, especially following recent inputs from stakeholders.

The outline of GM Business’s agenda for the coming days was discussed during 30th June parliamentary group meeting.

Source: Le Mauricien