Free Ride Costing Rs 3.9 Bn To Exchequer: Ramgoolam

He explained that during the by-election in constituency No 7 Piton/ Riviere du Rempart in 2003, a woman told him that she could not send her children to school since the family could not afford to pay bus fares. “I was accompanied by Rajesh Jeetah who stood as candidate and I told him that once we would be in power, we should introduce free transport so that no child is left behind.”

The PM also urged the people not to vote on a communal basis during an election, and referred to one Atchia family who collected money to fund the medical studies of his father, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam in London.

He added, “Despite a difficult childhood, SSR persevered, succeeded in life and thus proved that poverty is no barrier for success in life.”

Ramgoolam explained that free education in 1976 was the pillar of economic development. He said, “This is the reason why a budget of Rs 11.7 billion was devoted to the education sector in 2011.”

The president of Elle C Nous, Milene Abdool Kader lauded the efforts of the government in creating the Ministry of Social Integration.

The event was also attended by Private Parliamentary Secretary Reza Issack and director of Mauritius Examination syndicate Lucien Finette and president of the National Empowerment Fund, Kadress Pillay, among others.