Greater Male Connectivity Projects: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih recently launched the contract for the mega Greater Male Connectivity project (GMCP).

Key Highlights:

• The Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is on a three-day state visit, his first foreign trip after assuming charge of the top office in the island nation a month ago.
• His visit to India will provide an opportunity for the two leaders to review the progress made in this wide-ranging partnership and lend further momentum to it.
• Both countries also entered pacts in areas like cyber security, disaster management, and police infrastructure development.
• PM Modi also said that India will also assist the Maldives in achieving its target of net zero carbon emissions by 2030.
• The Maldivian president also invited Indian investors to explore the opportunities in his country and forge a mutually beneficial partnership.

Male connectivity projects:

• The GMCP is the largest-ever civilian infrastructure project in the Maldives.
• Under the GMCP project, a 6.74 km long bridge and causeway link will be built to connect the capital city Male with adjoining islands namely: Villingili, Gulhifahu and Thilafushi.
• It will be built under India’s USD 100 million grant and USD 400 million line of Credit (LoC).
• India also extended a USD 100 million line of credit for development projects in the Maldives.
• The USD 400 million LoC will be provided by the Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank).
• The project will be developed by Indian construction and engineering firm, AFCONS, based in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

India and the Maldives Relations:

• Maldives is India’s key neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region and occupies a special place in India’s Neighbourhood First Policy.
• India was among the first to recognise Maldives after its independence in 1965 and to establish diplomatic relations with the country.
• In recent years, the partnership has witnessed rapid growth in all areas of cooperation.

About Maldives:

• The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, is a small island nation in South Asia.
• It is situated in the Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean.
• It lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India.
• The Capital of Maldives is Male.
• The Currency of the Maldives is Maldivian Rufiyaa.
• The current President of the Maldives is Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.