Government of Seychelles and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) work in collaboration to develop Country Programme Framework for the 2016-2020 Technical Cooperation Cycl

Government of Seychelles and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) work in collaboration to develop Country Programme Framework for the 2016-2020 Technical Cooperation Cycle 30.01.2015 The Government of Seychelles, in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), have come together this week in a consultative workshop, to develop the Country Programme Framework of Technical Cooperation between the State and the Organisation, for the period of 2016-2020, between Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th January 2015, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The IAEA is mandated to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world, and has worked in close collaboration with the Seychelles since 2003, in a shared vision to develop the concept of nuclear science and technology in the local context, to new heights. The workshop has been facilitated by Mr. Michael Kiza, Programme Management Officer under the Division of Africa in the Department of Technical Cooperation of the IAEA. Representatives from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labour and Human Resource Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Natural Resources and Industry, Seychelles Agricultural Agency, Seychelles National Parks Authority, Seychelles Bureau of Standards and the Division of Risk and Disaster Management actively contributed to this working document over the two days. The Country Programme Framework (CPF) 2016 -2020 is being developed with the aim to address various subjects where local technology and expertise is lacking in the field of nuclear science. The CPF will lead to the enhancement of institutional and human capacity of relevant organizations, with the financial and technical resource support of the IAEA, and will complement the existing national development priorities and sectorial plans in the field of nuclear science and safety. The CPF 2016-2020 reflects development strategies for the following key areas: agricultural production and food safety, safe health service practices and provision in the field of radiology, safe labour inspection procedures, support to the Blue Economy initiative through the protection of our marine resources and eco-system, sustainable energy development and finally, further developing educational programmes in this field which is still a relatively new concept locally. In all, this strategy is set to provide assistance in all of the aforementioned avenues through a synchronized national and international coordination approach, in order to uphold socio-economic development as a whole in our small island state.

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Seychelles Commander-in-Chief Makes Key Appointments in Armed Forces

Seychelles Commander-in-Chief Makes Key Appointments in Armed Forces

Wed, 28 January 2015

Following the formation of his new Cabinet and new appointments in the public service, President James Michel has today made changes to the command structure of the Seychelles People’s Defence Forces (SPDF).

The Commander in Chief of the Seychelles Armed Forces has appointed a new Chief of Staff under the command of the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Brigadier Leopold Payet. He is Lieutenant Colonel Michael Rosette. His predecessor, Colonel Clifford Roseline has been appointed Chief Military Adviser to the President/Commander-in Chief.

The new commandant of the Military Academy is Lieutenant Colonel Edwards Anacoura. He is succeeded as Military Attaché to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by Lieutenant Colonel Georges Adeline.

Other Commanding Officers retain their positions, whilst other appointments are being done internally. 

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Seychelles to Boost Cooperation with Ethiopia

Seychelles to Boost Cooperation with Ethiopia

27.01.2015

Seychelles and Ethiopia are set to take their bilateral cooperation to new heights following talks held between the Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Dr. Tedros Adhanom, and Minister for Foreign Affair, Mr. Jean-Paul Adam.

Tourism and cultural exchanges were highlighted as one key area where the two countries would be pursuing increased partnership, as well other potential areas for cooperation such as youth exchanges and sports engagement.

“Ethiopia and Seychelles have immense potential for cooperation which has been made all the more exciting by the return of Ethiopian Airlines to Seychelles,” said Minister Adam.

Minister Adam committed to engaging the business communities of both Ethiopia and Seychelles to investigate potential areas for trade, making note of the high quality agricultural products of Ethiopia and the attractiveness of its close proximity.

A Visa Waiver Agreement and an MoU between the respective Chambers of Investment and Commerce were also discussed, among other key agreements, as potential facilitators to boosting engagements between the two countries.

The Seychelles Foreign Minister also extended an invitation for Ethiopia to participate in the ‘Carnaval de Victoria’ as an opportunity to showcase the diverse cultures of Ethiopia and as an opportunity to engage their respective Ministries of Tourism in future cooperation.

Minister Adam is currently in Ethiopia attending the 26^th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union.

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Foreign Minister Calls on Africa to be Champions of the Blue Economy

Foreign Minister Calls on Africa to be Champions of the Blue Economy

27.01.2015

The Minister for Foreign Affairs has commended the African Union for embracing Africa’s Blue Economy as a key area of the transformative component of Agenda 2063 and called on his African counterparts to be “champions of the Blue Economy.”

Speaking at the 26^th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union today, Minister Jean-Paul Adam, also announced the creation of the Blue Economy department of the Government of Seychelles as a demonstrated commitment to developing this sector for the benefit of the Seychellois people.

“We have the opportunity to make better use of Africa's oceanic spaces. To harness their potential for the benefit of African nations and not just distant nations that covet our fishing or mineral resources, said the Minister

“We will need enhanced research and technology development to make this a reality and this is at the heart of Agenda 2063. Seychelles stands ready to work with the AU Commission to strengthen our African networks of oceanic research and development.”

In his intervention the Minister stressed the importance of enhancing the African network of ports and maritime trade infrastructure as key to developing new industry and moving beyond the exportation of raw materials:

“Our ports must be part of our transformation from economies of extraction, to economies that are key mobilisers of value addition and enhanced wealth creation.”

In addition to being essential to diversing African economies from being predominately extraction based, the Minister added that the Seychelles Government viewed the blue economy as a critical component of building climate resilient economic growth in Africa:

“Sustainable management of our oceans can help us create wealth while also better preparing us for the risks associated with climate change- such as food security challenges and extreme weather events.”

During his working visit to Addis Ababa, Minister Adam also took the opportunity to meet with the African Union Commission Chairperson, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and presented Seychelles’ willingness to collaborate on establishing an African maritime centre of excellence for research and innovation. Further talks as to the nature of such a centre are on going.

The Seychelles delegation, led by Minister Adam, is currently in Addis Ababa attending the 24^thOrdinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union, and includes the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Barry Faure, the Permanent Representative to the African Union, Amb. Joseph Nourrice, and the Principal Counsellor in the Seychelles Embassy in Addis Ababa, Mrs. Amanda Bernstein.

Editors Note:

• It was announced on the 26^th January that Minister Jean-Paul Adam is to be the new Minister for Finance, Trade, and the Blue Economy; the latter part being a new Government department.
• Following the Executive Council resolution passed in Malabo, Seychelles hosted the technical meeting of African islands on Agenda 2063 in December 2014 and proposed a follow up mechanism at both technical and ministerial level to mobilize the Blue Economy component of the Agenda.
• Agenda 2063: What it is: Agenda 2063 is both a Vision and an Action Plan. It is a call for action to all segments of African society to work together to build a prosperous and united Africa based on shared values and a common destiny. In their 50th Anniversary Solemn Declaration, the Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU), while acknowledging past successes and challenges, rededicated themselves to the continent’s accelerated development and technological progress. They laid down vision and eight ideals to serve as pillars for the continent in the foreseeable future, which Agenda 2063 will translate into concrete objectives, milestones, goals, targets and actions/measures. Agenda 2063 strives to enable Africa remain focused and committed to the ideals envisaged in the context of a rapidly changing world. (http://agenda2063.au.int/en/about)

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Blizzard of 2015: What to know if you're traveling

By Gregory Wallace   @gregorywallace January 26, 2015: 10:21 PM ET

Who are the winners and losers in winter weather?

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Thousands of flights are canceled. Rail lines and roads are closed. The Northeast is getting walloped by a blizzard.

A potentially "historic and destructive" nor'easter is blowing through New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts -- including New York City and Boston -- crippling the ability to travel for the approximately 58 million people in its path.

Some forecasts call for up to three feet of snow through Tuesday afternoon. Governors and mayors in the northeast warned people to hunker down at home and announced an ever-growing list of closures.

Travel analysts at masFlight estimated at least 250,000 travelers were affected by flight cancellations alone.

If you were planning on traveling by plane, train or automobile this week, here's what you need to know:

By train:

--Amtrak: The rail line canceled all Tuesday trips on several of its busy lines in the Northeast. It suspended Northeast Regional and Acela Express trains between New York and Boston, as well as Empire Service, Amtrak Downeaster, Vermonter and the Springfield line. The Lake Shore Limited and trains between New York and Washington, D.C., will conduct only partial service on Tuesday, Amtrak said. More from Amtrak.

--New Jersey Transit: The last trains and buses were scheduled to depart at 8 p.m. Monday with service to be fully closed by 10 p.m.

--New York City Transit: The nation's largest single public transport network said it sent additional trains to certain commuter lines Monday afternoon to accommodate "customers who want to leave work early." All service ends at 11 p.m. on Monday night, the transit authority said.

By road: The storm is expected to make for slick roads, including along major highways like I-70, I-80 I-84 and I-95.

--Connecticut: Roads close at 9 p.m. Monday.

--New York City: Roads, including bridges and tunnels into the city, close at 11 p.m. Monday.

--Massachusetts: Road close at midnight, and cars parked on major roads in Boston after 6 p.m. will be towed.

--Philadelphia: Cars parked on major city streets after 6 p.m. will be towed.

By plane: As of Monday evening, more than 2,800 flights on Monday and more than 4,300 flights on Tuesday had been canceled, according to the tracker service FlightAware, with the three major airports in the New York area among those most affected. Those cancellations will ripple out through the country and it will likely be days before service is back to usual.

--American Airlines (AAL) and U.S. Airways: American is planning for only "very limited operations (on Tuesday) in the Northeast," including in Boston, New York and Philadelphia. The airlines will let customers flying to or from two dozen airports in the region rebook reservations made for Monday and Tuesday without a fee. More from American. More from U.S. Airways.

--Delta Air Lines (DAL): The airline canceled all flights out of the three major New York-area on Tuesday after canceling approximately 600 flights scheduled for Monday. Customers were urged to rebook flights, and the airline said it would do so without no extra fee. More from Delta.

--Frontier Airlines: Customers traveling from airports in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and the Washington area may rebook without penalty. More from Frontier.

--JetBlue (JBLU): Flights in and out of the Northeast were canceled on Tuesday, and customers were allowed to rebook. More from Jet Blue.

--Southwest Airlines (LUV): The airline said late Monday it had canceled at least 130 flights scheduled for Monday, 300 flights on Tuesday and 50 flights on Wednesday. It said customers traveling to and from the Northeast could reschedule without a fee. More from Southwest.

--Spirit Airlines (SAVE): Travelers arriving at or departing from nine airports in the Northeast may reschedule their travel between now and February 3.

--United Airlines (UAL): The airline had limited operations on Monday and said it would cancel all flights on Tuesday at Newark (a key hub in its operations), LaGuardia and JFK, as well as Boston and Philadelphia.

--Virgin America (VA): Travelers headed into or out of Boston, New York, Newark or Washington airports on Tuesday may change their reservation without fees. More from Virgin America.

--CNN's Aaron Cooper, Stephanie Gallman and Rene Marsh contributed to this report 

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Four new ministers enter government - President of Seychelles announces Cabinet re-shuffle

Victoria, Seychelles | January 26, 2015, Monday @ 20:12 in National » GENERAL | By: Hajira Amla | Views: 876

The president of the Seychelles, James Michel has re-shuffled his Cabinet of Ministers. (Seychelles News Agency)

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(Seychelles News Agency) - The president of the Seychelles, James Michel, announced on Monday a cabinet re-shuffle, marking the exit of two current ministers, the Minister of Finance, Trade and Investment,  Pierre Laporte, and the Minister of Natural Resources, Peter Sinon.

In their place, President Michel has announced the appointment of four new ministers, re-structuring a number of portfolios.

The announcement, which was issued in the form of a press statement from the Office of the President, has ushered in the appointment of a number of chief executive officers in government ministries, departments and agencies. It was stated that other heads and senior staff would retain their position.

As widely expected, the President will retain his existing portfolios for Defence, Legal Affairs, Information and Hydrocarbons.

Vice-President Danny Faure's duties will also remain as the Minister for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Youth and Public Administration, but he has been entrusted with the additional responsibility for Civil Society, including "relations with religious denominations and organisations".

Top: the new Minister of Investment, Entrepreneurship Development and Business Innovation, Michael Benstrong and Wallace Cosgrow, the newly-appointed Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture. (Seychelles News Agency) Photo license: CC-BY

New cabinet of ministers

Together with the President and the Vice-President, the following Ministers will from 1 February constitute the ministerial cabinet, subject to the approval of the National Assembly:

Minister of Community Development, Social Affairs & Sports and Designated Minister, Vincent Mériton

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Transport, Joël Morgan

Minister of Education, Macsuzy Mondon

Minister of Finance, Trade & The Blue Economy, Jean-Paul Adam

Minister of Health, Mitcy Larue

Minister of Tourism & Culture, Alain St Ange

Minister of Land Use & Housing, Christian Lionnet

Minister of Labour and Human Resources Development, Idith Alexander

Minister of Home Affairs, Charles Bastienne

Minister of Environment, Energy & Climate Change, Didier Dogley

Minister of Investment, Entrepreneurship Development & Business Innovation, Michael Benstrong

Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, Wallace Cosgrow

The president has thanked outgoing ministers Pierre Laporte and Peter Sinon for their "hard work and many achievements" and said the two would continue to contribute to the development of the country.

In his capacity as President of the ruling Parti Lepep (People's Party), President Michel has appointed Sinon as the Deputy Secretary General of the political party.

New principal secretaries

New Principal Secretaries to be appointed to support the Ministers in their portfolios are as follows:

Ag. Principal Secretary for Finance & Administration (Office of the President): Pamela Payet

Principal Secretary for Early Childhood, Primary & Secondary Education (Ministry of Education): Merida Delcy

Principal Secretary for Planning, Human Resources, Infrastructural Development & Post Secondary Education (Ministry of Education): Dr Linda Barallon

Principal Secretary for Finance & Trade (Ministry of Finance, Trade & The Blue Economy): Patrick Payet

Principal Secretary for The Blue Economy (Ministry of Finance, Trade & The Blue Economy): Rebecca Loustau-Lalanne

Principal Secretary for Home Affairs: Michel Marie

Principal Secretary for Climate Change and Energy (Ministry of Environment, Climate Change & Energy): Wills Agricole

Principal Secretary for Environment (Ministry of Environment, Climate Change & Energy): Alain Decommarmond

Principal Secretary for Investment, Entrepreneurship Development & Business Innovation: Marise Berlouis (Ministry of Investment, Entrepreneurship Development & Business Innovation)

Principal Secretary for Fisheries & Agriculture (Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture): Michel Nalletamby

New special advisors

Special Adviser (The Blue Economy) to the Minister for Finance, Trade & The Blue Economy: Philippe Michaud

Special Adviser to the Minister for Investment, Entrepreneurship Development & Business Innovation: Dr Steve Fanny

Special Adviser (Fisheries) to the Minister for Fisheries & Agriculture: Finley Racombo

Special Adviser (Agriculture) to the Minister for Fisheries & Agriculture: Antoine-Marie Moustache

Other senior positions (Secretaries of State, Principal Secretaries, Special Advisers, Chief Executive Officers) will remain unchanged with the exception of the following new appointments:

CEO Welfare Agency: Marcus Siméon

CEO Seychelles Commercial Bank: Syed Naqi

CEO Seychelles Pension Fund: Lekha Nair

Adviser to the CEO Pension Fund: Willy Confait Ag.

CEO Seychelles Fishing Authority: Vincent Lucas

General- See more at: http://www.seychellesnewsagency.com/articles/2246/Four+new+ministers+enter+government+-+President+of+Seychelles+announces+Cabinet+re-shuffle#sthash.VPI5VtOU.dpuf

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Stakeholders learn more about US global tax law

Stakeholders learn more about US global tax law

26-January-2015

Banks, financial, corporate services providers and insurance companies’ representatives, economic policy analysts were among a group of people who last week learned more about the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (Fatca).

This was through an awareness presentation session organised by the Ministry of Finance, Trade and Investment in collaboration with the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and Appleby Global.

Appleby is one of the world's leading providers of offshore legal, fiduciary and administration services. Two consultants from Appleby Global Mauritius branch – Natasha Hardowar-Bissessur, regional compliance manager for Asia and Africa and Malcolm Moller, managing partner for Mauritius and Seychelles – led the presentations and discussion sessions.

The principal secretary for Finance, Trade and Investment Steve Fanny launched the presentation session which was held at the STC conference room.

Addressing everyone present Mr Fanny noted that Seychelles has so far gone through all the necessary procedures and the government has approved a proposal from the Ministry of Finance, Trade and Investment for Seychelles to join the Fatca.

Seychelles has decided to adopt a model 1 B Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) under Fatca which means the Seychelles Revenue Commission (SRC) will collect the information from the financial institutions (FIs) and exchange it with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), annually. Seychelles is currently included on the IRS list as having reached a Model I B Intergovernmental agreement (IGA) in substance and is yet to sign the IGA. It is important to note that Seychelles is ready to sign the IGA as soon as the IRS is ready.

Seychelles’ financial institutions and government institutions are very new to Fatca and as much as possible need information to better implement Fatca in Seychelles, thus the need for such presentation session. 

Enacted in 2010 by the United States Congress as a means of tackling problems with offshore compliance, Fatca also aims at making it more difficult for US taxpayers to conceal assets held in offshore accounts and evade paying tax. 
  
Fatca also provides for better exchange of information between tax authorities in relation to United States citizens and residents who hold assets offshore.

Those attending the session were able to learn more about the law which according to Ms Hardowar-Bissessur even though it is a US law, its impact on the world is greater than on US citizens.

“Despite all criticisms Fatca, which is now in operation after four years of fine tuning, is all set to become the global standard in the effort to curtail offshore tax evasion,” she said.

During the session everyone present got a better understanding of the law itself, its different models and why it is important for stakeholders in the financial services sector to comply with it, among other related issues.

Following the presentations last week and consultation that the government has had with the FIs since last year, it is hoped that most, if not all, the elements of Fatca and clarifications from the FIs has been attended to. Nevertheless, should the need arise, the government, in its aim for all FIs to comply with the Fatca requirements, could hold other training sessions. 

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Public to be consulted on new strategic plan for Seychelles

Public to be consulted on new strategic plan for Seychelles

26-January-2015

Members of the public will be consulted soon on a proposed strategic plan for Mahé and a master plan for Victoria.

This came out at the end of the second workshop or ‘charette’ on the Seychelles Strategic Plan, Mahé Framework Plan and the Victoria Master Plan which was held over five days last week at the International Conference Centre (ICCS).

The last day of the charette on Friday saw the wrapping up of discussions on the preferred growth strategy on the various scenarios adopted which form the basis of the Mahé framework plan. 

The presentation was conducted by Christopher Tunnel, director of ARUP (the contracted UK-based consultancy firm for the project). 

The consultants also looked at Praslin and La Digue as well as the other islands. They were aided by resourceful local persons. 

The wrap-up session was held in the presence of the Minister for Land Use and Habitat Christian Lionnet and the Minister for Finance, Trade and Investment Pierre Laporte. 

The charette was conducted by the Ministry of Land Use and Habitat (MLUH) in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council which was represented by Ahmed Al. 

Consulting work was being done by ARUP represented by Mr Tunnel. 
Also present were members of the National Assembly, MLUH and planning authority officials, among other guests.

Both ministers gave their views on the draft plan by expressing their concerns on certain points and suggesting amendments or considerations.

The workshop was aimed at assessing growth scenarios which include population, transport, resilience, development, community facilities, environment, agriculture, tourism and utilities; securing consensus on proposed growth strategy which highlights what growth goes where, meaning detecting the best possible location where development or growth can take place; developing topic framework plans and understand their policy implications and agreeing on the key issues component for the Victoria Master Plan.

In his presentation of the preferred strategy adopted, Mr Tunnel said one of the messages that have come out clearly is the total and committed involvement of the locals in marking out places.

“The plan has proved to be bottom-up and top-down, top-down and bottom-up. And I think that alongside its strategic document we quickly realised the need to consider local places. An immensely valuable exercise we have been taking to consider how these places might develop in the form of a strategy,” he said.

He said the aim of the charettes were to discuss the growth scenarios to develop a great strategy to identify where each growth should go, to develop topic plans and start Victoria Master Plan. 

He said he was pleased that through the stakeholders’ hard work all those goals have been achieved but adding they now need to work on the details.

”Our achievement is that we’ve developed the strategic options today; we have undertaken a detailed place-making exercise; we understood the role and capacity of places, we developed a series of framework plans and we have outlined the preferred growth strategy,” said Mr Tunnel.

The next step is public consultation where the discussions will move to the community. 
The next charette will be held in May this year.

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Lamp association ‘Earn While You Learn’ project: 40 youths get vocational training

Lamp association ‘Earn While You Learn’ project: 40 youths get vocational training

26-January-2015

Forty young persons have been awarded certificates after successfully ending a one-year vocational training programme as part of the ‘Earn While You Learn’ project. 

Among the forty, Joshua Baptiste and Tina Zialor came out as best students.

The programme, which as its name suggests consists of internships in various businesses, was initiated one year ago by a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) known as Lamp (Light Amidst My Path). Lamp has as mission to prevent and reduce juvenile delinquency and turn the youths into responsible and productive citizens through partnerships with families, schools, law enforcement agencies and the general community. 

The main aim of the ‘Learn While You Learn’ project which is sponsored by Barclays Bank is to provide unemployed or underemployed youth with vocational training and skills so as to reduce the level of juvenile delinquency and stimulate economic development in local communities. 

Its other partners include the Adult Learning and Distance Education Centre (Aldec), Computing and Adult Learning Centre, Seychelles Institute of Technology (SIT), Seychelles Public Transport Corporation (SPTC), Seychelles Breweries Ltd., Dr Chetty’s Clinic, FoodPro and Wood Working Workshop.

During their internship, the students were trained in motor mechanic, carpentry and Information Technology. Their training also included a camp at Val d’Andorre where they benefitted from arts workshops which have permitted them to sing, write poems and produce other art forms. 

Some of the certificate recipients have already secured permanent jobs as a result of the project and two are even preparing to launch their own small business soon. Among them, Colette Pillay who served as master of ceremony (MC) for the certificate presentation ceremony at the Seychelles Trading Company (STC) conference room on Saturday afternoon, hopes to shortly start her own small public relations (PR) firm.

Lamp’s chairperson Lucianne Sophola has thanked Barclays Bank, parents and tutors for the support provided to the young persons. 

She highlighted some of the outcomes of the project which are a positive behavioural change in the beneficiaries, development of social and life skills as well as a higher level of self esteem.

Happy to see that Lamp has made good use of Barclay’s support, the Bank’s head of marketing and corporate relations Coleen Morel expressed her appreciation that the project has produced very good results and enlightened the youth. 

She added that the training has not only given them the necessary skills but has also provided them with determination to succeed in life. 

She observed it was evident that they have moved to a next level. She consequently called on them to bring their skills and positive attitude to their place of work. Jules Hoareau, the chairperson of the Civil Engagement Platform Seychelles (Ceps) which regroups Seychelles’ NGOs, has commented that the Barclays/Lamp partnership shows the excellent relationship which can exist between businesses and the civil society for benefit the community.

He told the certificate awardees that the ened of their training was just the beginning and that they should now hold on tight to what they have learned.

“You are the ones who hold this new beginning of a new life which offers new opportunities. The new beginning will be filled with challenges. I am however sure that the training sessions you have followed will permit you to overcome those challenges,” he said.

Mr Hoareau hopes that Barclays’ example, which has brought a difference in the lives of forty young people, will be followed by other businesses.

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Indians celebrate 66th Republic Day

Indians celebrate 66th Republic Day

27-January-2015

The Indian community of Seychelles came together yesterday morning at the India House, Au Cap, under driving rain to commemorate the 66th Republic Day of India.

The day started with the traditional flag raising ceremony and the singing of the national anthem by the women of the Indian embassy. High commissioner Sanjay Panda proceeded by reading extracts from the message of the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee. 

In his message, Mr Mukherjee wrote that “twenty sixth January holds an everlasting place in our national memory because it is the day when modern India was born. Under Mahatma Gandhi's moral and political leadership, the National Congress passed the Purna Swaraj resolution demanding complete independence from British rule in December 1929. Gandhiji organised nationwide celebrations on January 26, 1930 as Independence Day. From then on, the nation took a pledge on this day every year to carry on the freedom struggle till we attained it.”

He added: “Exactly twenty years later, in 1950, we adopted our charter of modernity – the Constitution. Tragically, Gandhiji had been martyred two years before, but the framework of a Constitution that has made India a role model for today's world was constructed out of his philosophy. Its essence lay in four principles: democracy; freedom of faith; gender equality and an economic upsurge for those trapped in the curse of poverty. These were made Constitutional obligations. Gandhiji's talisman for the country's rulers was simple and powerful ‘whenever you are in doubt...recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen and ask yourself...will it lead to swaraj for the hungry and spiritually starving millions?’.”

High commissioner Panda seized the opportunity to talk about the achievements made by India in 2014, such as the largest electoral exercise that made India a one-party power; the achievement of Kailash Satyarthi as a Nobel Prize winner; the launch of the Make in India campaign, which is an international marketing campaigning by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi on September 25, 2014 to attract businesses from around the world to invest and manufacture in India.

“I cannot not mention our bilateral relations. Seychelles has been our most friendly neighbour. In the words of President James Michel ‘the Indian Ocean does not separate us, it is a bridge’. We also had the handing over of a naval ship, the launch of direct flights to Mumbai and the successful India Day programme. We also have to mention the recognition given to the acting Chief Justice for Seychelles, Durai Karunakaran with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award. Only 15 overseas Indian received this award earlier this year,” noted the high commissioner.

Another good piece of news for Indians staying abroad is as of now they do not need to renew their Person of India Origin (PIO) card as the Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) is valid for life.

The event was attended by the acting Chief Justice Durai Karunakaran, Anindya Banerjee, first secretary of the high commission in Seychelles, military adviser H. Col. G.G Giudur and members of the Indian community.

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