PM Modi, Seychelles Prez To Inaugurate Magistrates’ Court Building, Naval Ship, Solar Power Plant

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Thursday participate in a high-level virtual meeting with the President of Seychelles Wavel Ramkalawan and inaugurate a range of projects supported by India in Seychelles as part of New Delhi’s Indo-Pacific vision.This will be Modi’s first interaction with Ramkalawan who came to power after a landmark victory in October 2020 elections in Seychelles. His party Linyon Democratic Seselwa has a two-thirds majority in the Seychelles national assembly.President Ramkalawan is of Indian origin. He has his ancestral roots in Gopalganj district of Bihar. He visited India in January 2018 as a part of the PIO Parliamentarian’s Conference and had also visited his native village ‘Parsauni”. There are three ministers of Indian origin in his cabinet – Devika Vidot, Billy Rangasamy and Naadir Hassan.

Meanwhile, the high-level virtual event today will see joint-inauguration of the New Magistrates’ Court Building in Seychelles, new naval ship, one MW solar power plant, 10 HICDPs (High Impact Community Development Projects).

The Magistrates’ Court Building project is a landmark project and will help bring magistrate courts spread over different locations in Mahe into a single building. It is situated next to the Supreme Court of Seychelles built by Chinese assistance in 2013.

The vessel that will be inaugurated is a 48.9-meter fast-patrol vessel built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineering Ltd. (GRSE), at a cost of Rs 100 crore. The ship will be used for multi-purpose operations, such as patrolling, anti-smuggling, anti-poaching and search and rescue (SAR).

The FPV was delivered to Seychelles with the assistance of the Indian Navy on March 16, 2021, and will be handed over by the Prime Minister to the Seychelles Coast Guard during the virtual event.

Christened as ‘PS Zoroaster’, the FPV is the fourth ship to be gifted by India to Seychelles. The other vessels gifted by India include PS Topaz (2005), PS Constant (2014), Patrol Boat Hermes (2016).