The Prime Minister further said India and Mauritius jointly celebrated yet another landmark on Thursday as a symbol of special friendship between the two countries. "The new Supreme Court Building in Port Louis is a symbol of our cooperation and our shared values," he said.

Modi said both India and Mauritius respect our independent judiciaries as important pillars of our democratic systems and that this impressive new building, with its modern design and construction, is a mark of respect.

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Modi reminded, "We had jointly inaugurated the landmark Metro project and a new state-of-the-art hospital a few months back. I am happy to know that both these projects are proving useful for the people of Mauritius. It was in Mauritius that I had first spoken about India's vision of SAGAR - Security and Growth for All in the Region'. This is because Mauritius is at the heart of India's approach to the Indian Ocean region."

Modi said history has taught us that in the name of development partnerships, nations were forced into dependence partnerships and that it gave rise to colonial rule and rise to global power blocks.

He said India is making development partnerships that are marked by respect, diversity, care for the future, and sustainable development. For India, Modi said, the most fundamental principle in development cooperation is respecting our partners. "This sharing of development lessons is our only motivation. That is why our development cooperation does not come with any conditions," the Prime Minister said.

He said that India's development partnerships are diverse from commerce to culture, energy to engineering, health to housing, IT to infrastructure, and sports to science and that India is working with nations across the globe. The Prime Minister said if India is honoured to help in the Parliament building in Afghanistan, it is also proud to be associated in the making of the Mahatma Gandhi Convention Centre in Niger.

"India is not only proud in helping you, we consider it our privilege to help you create a better future for your youth, your next generation. That is why, training and skilling is such an important part of our development cooperation."

He said the future is about sustainable development. "Human needs and aspirations cannot be in conflict with our natural surroundings. That is why, we believe in both human empowerment and care for the environment."

Based on this philosophy, Modi said, India made efforts to nurture new institutions like the International Solar Alliance. "Let the rays of the sun brighten the journey of human progress. We are also working on a strong Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure," the Prime Minister said.

The Supreme Court building has been constructed with Indian grant assistance and will be the first India-assisted infrastructure project within the capital city of Port Louis after COVID-19. The new Supreme Court building project is one of the five projects being implemented under the 'Special Economic Package' of US $353 million extended by the Government of India to Mauritius in 2016. The project has been completed within schedule and below expected costs.

The building is spread over an area of more than 4,700 sqm with over 10 floors and a built up area of around 25,000 sqm. The building flaunts a modern design and green features with a focus on thermal and sound insulation and high energy efficiency, the Indian government said in a press release.

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