PM Modi, Seychelles President to participate in online event to inaugurate projects

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan will participate in a virtual event on Thursday during which a range of Indian projects in the Seychelles will be inaugurated.

The high-level virtual event will feature a joint e-inauguration of the new Magistrates' Court building in the Seychelles, the handing over of a Fast Patrol Vessel to the Seychelles Coast Guard, the handing over of a 1-MW solar power plant, the inauguration of 10 high-impact community development projects (HICDPs), the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement on Wednesday.

Modi will take part in the virtual event with Ramkalawan on Thursday to inaugurate a range of Indian projects in the Seychelles, it added.

The new Magistrates' Court building in the capital city, Victoria, is India's first major civil infrastructure project in the Seychelles built with grant assistance.

The Magistrates' Court is a state-of-the-art building that will substantially enhance the capacity of the Seychelles' judicial system and aid in better delivery of judicial services to people, the PMO said.

The 50-metre Fast Patrol Vessel, which is a modern and fully-equipped naval ship, has been made in India by M/s GRSE, Kolkata and is being gifted to the Seychelles under Indian grant assistance to strengthen its maritime surveillance capabilities, it added.

The 1-MW ground-mounted solar power plant at the Romainville Island of the Seychelles has been completed as part of the "Solar PV Democratisation Project" being implemented in the Seychelles by the Indian government under grant assistance.

The virtual event will also see the handing over of 10 HICDPs implemented by the High Commission of India in collaboration with local bodies, educational and vocational institutions.

The Seychelles occupies a central place in the prime minister's vision of "SAGAR" -- Security and Growth for All in the Region -- the PMO said.

The inauguration of these key projects demonstrates India's privileged and time-tested role as a reliable partner of the Seychelles for meeting its infrastructural, developmental and security requirements and is a testimony to the deep and friendly ties between the people of the two countries, it added.

The Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, off East Africa.