Pravind Jugnauth

Pravingth Kumar Jugnauth (Yadav) (born 25 December 1961) is a Mauritian politician serving as the prime minister of Mauritius since January 2017.

Born on 25 December 1961 in La Caverne, a suburb area in Vacoas-Phoenix, Mauritius, Jugnauth was born into a Hindu Yaduvanshi Ahir family.

He was born to Anerood Jugnauth, former President and Prime Minister of Mauritius, and Sarojini Ballah, a schoolteacher.

He has an elder sister, Shalini Jugnauth-Malhotra.

After primary schooling at Aryan Vedic, he studied at Royal College Curepipe.

He then went on to study law at the University of Buckingham, thus joining the Lincoln's Inn, and became a barrister.

He then joined Aix-Marseille University in France where he graduated with a "diploma in civil law."

Pravind Jugnauth entered the political arena in 1987 and officially joined the MSM in 1990.

Pravind Jugnauth married Kobita Ramdanee in 1992 and is the father of three daughters: Sonika, Sonali and Sara.

As Minister of Agriculture from 7 September 2000 to 7 October 2003 (under MSM-MMM government), Jugnauth reformed the sugar sector by diversification with the production of ethanol, agricultural rhum, special sugars, electricity generation from bagasse and other high value-added products.

Besides production costs were significantly reduced in response to a drop in the protected sugar price under the Sugar Protocol with the European Union.

He also negotiated a package for workers under the Voluntary Retirement Scheme which enabled around 8000 workers to retire with cash compensation exceeding 2.5 billion rupees and around 825 arpents of land worth 3 billion rupees.

Jugnauth also encouraged hydroponics and other modern methods of agricultural production as well as agricultural biotechnology research.

He created a National Agricultural Biotechnology Institute and Food Technology Laboratory in Mauritius and later launched the Small Planters Welfare Fund.

The fund caters to the welfare of planters and their families and provides crop insurance schemes designed to financially support planters whose crops are affected by unfavourable weather conditions.

Jugnauth has been the leader of the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM) party since April 2003.

He has held a number of ministerial portfolios and also been Leader of the Opposition.

As Finance Minister from 7 October 2003 to 5 July 2005, Jugnauth reduced taxes on thousands of commodities.

He increased subsidies on basic commodities and gave salary compensations well above inflation rates in two successive years.

He launched a project to make Mauritius a Duty Free Island.

In June 2005 Prime Minister Paul Berenger dissolved the Parliament in preparation for the 2005 General Elections.

The Labour-led Alliance Sociale won a total seat of 38 against the MSM-MMM alliance which obtained only 24 seats.

Pravind Jugnauth was defeated in his constituency, received 48% of vote and was not elected.

Paul Berenger became Leader of the Opposition made up of MSM (14 seats) and MMM (10 seats).

In 2006 MP Ashok Jugnauth left the MSM party and formed a new party following a dispute with Pravind Jugnauth regarding the leadership of the party.

At that time Pravind was not an elected member of Parliament but still held leadership of the MSM.

Nando Bodha the general secretary of the MSM became Leader of the Opposition after the MSM-MMM alliance split up due to Pravind Jugnauth's disapproval of Paul Berenger's request to make Rajesh Bhagwan the Opposition Chief Whip.

In 2007 two members of MSM (Joe Lesongard the party's president and Sekar Naidu) left the MSM and swore allegiance to Berenger who became Leader of the Opposition.

Ashok Jugnauth (half-brother of Sir Anerood Jugnauth and uncle of Pravind) had been elected as MSM member of parliament in Constituency No.8 Quartier Militaire and Moka.

But he had to resign in November 2008 as the British Privy Council upheld the guilty verdict that the Supreme Court of Mauritius had issued in 2007 following charges of electoral bribery during the campaign leading to the 2015 General Elections.

Thus by-elections had to be held in 2009.

Ashok Jugnauth stood as a candidate with the support of MMM.

The Labour Party supported Pravind Jugnauth who then announced his candidacy in the 8th constituency.

On 2 March 2009, Pravind Jugnauth won the by-elections.

In 2009, MSM formed a coalition known as Alliance de L'Avenir or Ptr-MSM-PMSD by joining forces with the Mauritian Labour Party and Mauritian Social Democrat Party.

His victory paved the way for the next alliance (Labour Party-MSM) during the 2010 general elections.

The coalition won the May 2010 elections.

On Navin Ramgoolam's advice, President Sir Anerood Jugnauth then appointed Jugnauth Vice Prime Minister & Minister of Finance as of 11 May 2010.

On 26 July 2011 Jugnauth and all other MSM ministers resigned due to the scandal known as the MedPoint Affair.

In 2014, following the resignation of Paul Berenger as Leader of the Opposition, President Kailash Purryag appointed Jugnauth to the office.