High Commission of India Male |
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INDIA-MALDIVES BILATERAL RELATIONS
Several Maldivian diplomats have received training in India under the Indian Foreign Service Institute’s Professional Course for Foreign Diplomats (PCFD) program. Economic and Commercial relations India and Maldives signed a trade agreement in 1981, which provides for export of essential commodities. Growing from modest beginnings, India-Maldives bilateral trade now stands at Rs.700 crores. Indian imports from the Maldives primarily comprise scrap metals while Indian exports to the Maldives include agriculture and poultry produce, sugar, fruits, vegetables, spices, rice, atta, textiles, drugs and medicines, a variety of engineering and industrial products, sand and aggregate, cement for building etc. In a major development, India announced in June 2011, the release of three year quota for export of essential commodities like Stone Aggregates, Rice, Wheat Flour, Sugar, Dal, Onion, Potato and Eggs from India to Maldives. Bilateral trade figures (in Rupees Crore)
Participation of Indian Business in Maldives State Bank of India has been playing a vital role in the economic development of the Maldives since February, 1974 by providing loan assistance for promotion of island resorts, export of marine products and business enterprises. Taj Group of India runs Taj Exotica Resort & Spa and Vivanta Coral Reef Resort. Other commercial projects that are currently being undertaken by Indian companies in Maldives are as follows:
Financial Assistance After the tsunami that struck Maldives on the morning of 26 December 2004, India was the first country to rush relief and aid to Maldives. India provided a budget support aid of Rs.10 crores in view of the serious financial difficulties being faced by Maldives on account of the tsunami and related factors. Assistance of US Dollars equivalent of Rs.100 million in July 2007 towards assistance was given following tidal surges in May 2007. Subscription to the Dollar denominated Treasury bills Due to the severe forex crisis in Maldives, the Maldivian Monetary Authority (MMA) for the first time issued treasury bonds denominated in US dollars in December 2009. The entire lot of US $ 100 million was subscribed to by the State Bank of India to help Maldives recover from the shortage of the currency. US$ 40 million Line of Credit for Housing Sector In December 2010, Government of India announced a new Line of Credit worth US$40 million to the Government of Maldives for construction of 485 housing units. An agreement on the LOC was signed between the EXIM BANK and the Government of Maldives in August 2011 and contract for the works were awarded to Overseas Infrastructure Alliance (OIA) in November 2011. Preparatory work is currently underway. Technology Adoption Programme in Education Sector In January 2011, Government of India signed an agreement with the Government of Maldives for a US$5.30 million project fully funded by the GoI towards Technology Adoption Programme in Education Sector in Maldives. The project, currently executed by NIIT and EEEC (India) over a 27 month period (2011-2013), has completed more than 4000 certifications benefitting around 2,300 Maldivian teachers and youth across islands in the country. Air connectivity Air India operates daily flights to Malé from Thiruvananthapuram, Bangalore and Chennai. Island Aviation Service (Maldivian Aero) is operating daily flights to Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai and Chennai. In November 2012, Spice Jet of India started daily commercial operations on the Male-Cochin sector. The proximity of location and improvements in air connectivity in recent years has led to a very substantial increase in the number of Indians visiting Maldives for tourism (around 30,000) and business purposes. Likewise, the number of Maldivians seeking long term visa for pursuing higher studies/medical treatment in India has also shown a sharp increase over the last two years. Cultural relations Both the countries share long cultural links and continuous efforts are underway to further strengthen these linkages. Three historical mosques (Friday Mosque and Dharumavantha Rasgefaanu Mosque - Male’, Fenfushi Mosque - South Ari Atoll) were successfully restored by Indian experts from NRLCCP, Lucknow. Exchange of cultural troupes takes place regularly between the countries. Hindi commercial films, TV serials and music are immensely popular in Maldives. With the recent introduction of the satellite television, the Hindi serials are also widely watched by the Maldivians. The India Cultural Center (ICC) in Male was inaugurated in July 2011, which conducts courses in yoga, classical music and dance. Since the inauguration of ICC, its programmes have become immensely popular and further boosted the vibrant cultural relations between the two countries. Indian Community Indians are the second largest expatriate community in the Maldives with approximate strength of around 26,000. A majority of the Indian expatriate community consists of semi/unskilled workers. In addition, there are a sizeable number of professionals like doctors, teachers, accountants, managers, engineers, nurses and technicians etc. spread over several islands. Of the country’s approximately 400 doctors, over 125 are Indians. Similarly around 25% of teachers in Maldives are Indians, mostly at middle and senior levels. September 1, 2013 |
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MEA Library Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India |
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