Victoria (Seychelles) | Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday visited the giant tortoise enclosure at the Seychelles National Botanical Garden with President Patrick Herminie.
He also joined President Herminie in a tree plantation ceremony, highlighting the two countries' shared commitment to biodiversity conservation and environmental protection.
Modi – who arrived in Seychelles on Saturday on a three-day official visit – said the Aldabra Giant Tortoise, native to Seychelles, is among the largest and longest-living species on Earth, with some individuals witnessing more than two centuries of history.
"The Aldabra Giant Tortoise also have an association with the special friendship between India and Seychelles. In 2014, two of them were gifted to the Alipore Zoo in Kolkata. A few years later, Seychelles gifted a few more tortoises to Hyderabad Zoo," the prime minister said in a post on X, after visiting the enclosure.
Modi and Herminie also took part in a joint tree plantation ceremony at the botanical garden, where they planted the iconic Coco de Mer, a species unique to Seychelles.
Calling it "a very special ceremony, highlighting a shared commitment to a greener planet", Modi noted that the Coco de Mer is widely respected in Seychelles and features on the country's coat of arms.
He said the species is celebrated for producing among the largest seeds and the heaviest fruits.
"India and Seychelles share a common resolve to safeguard biodiversity, promote environmental stewardship and leave behind a greener, healthier planet for future generations," Modi said.
Upon arrival, Modi was given a grand welcome by President Herminie and a high-level delegation. The prime minister also received a ceremonial Guard of Honour.
In the airport, Modi was greeted by dance performances - among them one group performed a dance from Kutch.
A large number of people belonging to the Indian diaspora also gathered outside the airport to welcome Modi.
New Delhi | The Congress on Saturday said it was hypocritical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the Giant Tortoise Enclosure at the Seychelles National Botanical Garden, as it accused him of destroying habitats of many such species with his government's Great Nicobar Island Project.
The remark came from Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, who in a post on X, referred to the prime minister's weekend visit to the Seychelles and a tributary post to the Aldabra Giant Tortoise.
"This is typical of his masterly hypocrisy. The Great Nicobar Island Project he is bulldozing through will destroy the habitats of so many species including that of the leatherback turtles," Ramesh said on X.
"Thousands of coral colonies will be obliterated. The island's unique biodiversity — known, still being discovered, and not yet known — is all set to be devastated," the former Union Environment minister said.
Ramesh said in this regard he has written multiple letters to the Defence Minister, the Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, the Minister of Tribal Affairs and the Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways.
"The exchanges continue but the Prime Minister is hellbent on inflicting an ecological disaster - all in the interest of the Modani empire," he alleged.
Earlier in the day, Modi posted a picture of his visit to the Giant Tortoise Enclosure at the Seychelles National Botanical Garden with President Dr Patrick Herminie.
"The Aldabra Giant Tortoise, which is native to Seychelles, is among the largest and longest-living species on Earth, with some of them witnessing over two centuries of history.
"The Aldabra Giant Tortoise also have an association with the special friendship between India and Seychelles. In 2014, two of them were gifted to the Alipore Zoo in Kolkata. A few years later, Seychelles gifted a few more tortoises to Hyderabad Zoo," Modi said in his post.
The prime minister landed in Seychelles on Saturday on a three-day official visit, where he handed over a 'Made in India' fast patrol vessel to the nation's coast guard, in a reaffirmation of New Delhi's commitment to strengthening the archipelagic nation's maritime security capabilities.
