During the state visit of the Prime Minister of Mauritius to India, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for strengthening collaboration in textiles sector was signed between the two Governments. Under the MoU, a Joint Committee was constituted at the level of Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Republic of Mauritius and the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Republic of India.
The Joint Committee has held 2 rounds of meetings on July 23, 2012 in New Delhi and January 28, 2013 in Port Louis, Mauritius. The Joint Committee has successfully developed the following MoUs between institutions of both countries for deepening textiles sector collaboration. The following MoUs between Institutions of Textiles sector of the 2 countries have been signed on January 30, 2013.
- MoU between Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) and Enterprise Mauritius (EM): To establish cooperation in compliance standards and competitiveness enhancement of the apparel industry, as well as capacity building in export promotion.
- MoU between Northern India Research Association (NITRA) and Mauritius Standards Bureau (MSB). To establish cooperation in the field of standardization, quality assurance and conformity assessment activities, accreditation of laboratories and proficiency in testing as well as capacity building and information exchange.
- MoU between Northern India Research Association (NITRA) and National Productivity and Competitiveness Council (NPCC): To establish cooperation in the field of productivity and quality improvement.
- MoU between Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI) and Mauritius Exporters Association (MEXA): To establish cooperation in the field of fashion and design promotion, education and training through effective knowledge network of Textiles professionals and industry representatives of India and Mauritius.
- MoU between Institute of Apparel Management (IAM) and Fashion and Design Institute of Mauritius (FDI): To establish cooperation in the field of design and delivery of training programs in the fields of textiles technology and fashion technology as well as academic interaction.
A framework of implementation of the announcements made by the Commerce, Industry and Textiles Minister of India during his visit to Mauritius on January 8-10 2013 has been formulated and reflected in a Letter of Intent signed between the 2 countries. India would offer training to 1000 textiles workers, 35 scholarship programs and develop 10 fully compliant apparel factories.
The Minister of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection of Mauritius would be visiting India in February 2013 during which he would discuss the possibilities for Indian investment in textiles sector with captains of Indian industry. Bilateral meetings with Commerce, Industry and Textiles Minister of India have also been requested to take the collaboration forward in the coming months.
The Minister of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection of Mauritius places on record his deep appreciation for the support extended by Minister of Commerce, Industry and Textiles of India in imparting considerable momentum to the relationship.
