PM Modi will begin his two day official visit to the Maldives and Sri Lanka starting today.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be conferred with Maldives highest honour accorded to foreign dignitaries, Order of the Distinguished Rule of Nishan Izzuddeen, during his visit to the island nation today.
PM Modi will begin his two day official visit to the Maldives and Sri Lanka starting today, his first overseas visit in his second term as Prime Minister. PM Modi's visit to the Maldives assumes significance as it is the only country in the neighbourhood that PM Modi did not visit during his first term as the prime minister.
"This will be the first trip by the Indian Prime Minister to the Maldives, after Manmohan Singh visited the island nation in 2011," Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said. The choice of the two countries underlined the government's continued emphasis on the neighbourhood-first policy, he said.
During his visit, the two countries are likely to sign a number of agreements related to customs, white shipping and training of civil servants among others. PM Modi will also address the Parliament of Maldives today.
PM Modi, along with Maldivian President Ibrahim Solih, will also inaugurate two projects - Coastal Surveillance Radar system and Composite training centre for the Maldives national defence forces. "The total value of these two important projects is approximately 180 crore," Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said.
He added that New Delhi has offered the Maldives a line of credit 800 million us dollars. "I am happy to inform you that three important projects have already been identified and the project report preparation is underway. One is Water supply and sewerage for 36 of the Islands which are inhabited, another one is Addu Urban development Centre and the third project is the SME Development Financing project," he added.
Maldives has also sought India's assistance in developing its national cricket team. "A BCCI team visited the Maldives earlier this month. There are a number of ways in which we can assist, one of them is to build a cricket stadium under a Line of Credit or some other means of financial assistance. They have requested for a coaching programme for young Maldivian players, both men and women, in India," he added.