It is a special privilege and honour for me to welcome His Excellency Dr PallamRaju, Minister of Human Resource Development of India . I wish to thank him for his presence amongst us with a high level delegation of very eminent persons. This event has a special historical significance for the Government and the people of Mauritius. The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Mauritius Research Council and the Indian Institute of Technology of Delhi is a distinct testimony of the strong and deep rooted bonds of friendship between our two countries as well as a landmark event, opening numerous avenues of collaboration in the fields Higher Education, Science and Technology. This is an exciting time for Higher Education in Mauritius, a time of impressive challenges, a time for decisive change and a time to broaden our horizons.I would like therefore, on behalf of the Government of Mauritius to express our gratitude to the Government of India for assisting us in addressing the challenges and opening new horizons for our young people. During his visit to Mauritius, Dr Abdul Kalam, former President of India reminded us that “ We have a common bond, not only people to people, above all the waves of the same Ocean embrace both of us.“ The new institution, will no doubt, in the years to come, stand as a model of excellence and distinction, a common bond between our people and our two countries.
