Victoria, June 28 (IANS). MoUs for cooperation and partnership in several sectors were exchanged between India and Seychelles on Sunday. An agreement was reached to launch Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in Seychelles during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PM Modi has expressed happiness on this.
After the launch of UPI in Seychelles, Indian tourists, businessmen and expatriate community will be able to make digital payments easily. Seychelles will benefit from a fast, secure and low-cost digital payment system. This initiative will also strengthen trade, tourism and fintech cooperation between the two countries. India’s UPI model is counted among the world’s most successful digital payment platforms and is now expanding rapidly globally.
However, Seychelles is not the first country where UPI payment system is going to be implemented. Earlier, UPI has been extended to United Arab Emirates (UAE), Singapore, France, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Trinidad and Tobago and Namibia. Apart from this, Indian travelers can also pay through UPI in countries like France, UAE, Singapore, Mauritius and Sri Lanka, while talks are going on with many other countries regarding UPI connectivity and digital payment cooperation. This initiative of India is being considered an important part of the strategy to promote digital public infrastructure globally.
Prime Minister Modi said, “We are happy that today an MoU is being signed to implement UPI in Seychelles. Development partnership has been a strong identity of our relations. India is always moving forward keeping its priorities, aspirations and needs at the center. During the President’s visit to India, we had announced a special economic package of 175 million dollars. Under this, work is being done in areas like social housing, transport, skilling, food security, education and defence. Seychelles humanitarian Cooperation in resource development has been a special priority for India. I am happy that we are contributing to the training of civil servants of Seychelles.”
Seychelles President Dr. Patrick Herminie said that India and Seychelles have recommitted to a partnership that is based on shared geography and history and a common vision for a stable, secure and prosperous Indian Ocean region.
He said, “The main focus of our talks was to implement the joint vision for sustainability, economic growth and security through better linkages, which Seychelles adopted earlier this year. This framework provides strategic direction for cooperation in all areas. I am very thankful to India for its steadfast support in translating this vision into concrete outcomes that benefit the people of both our countries.”
Dr. Harmini described development partnership as a strong pillar of India-Seychelles relations. He said that the two countries have signed several legal agreements that will deepen our cooperation in foreign service, digital banking, health, farming, sea flouring, extradition, space exploration and the construction of a new National Hospital in Seychelles.
–IANS
KK/VC