New Delhi, Nov 13: Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Thursday reaffirmed India’s commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation with the Maldives, stating that New Delhi stands ready to share its vast experience in public policy, governance reforms and emerging sectors such as the blue economy. His remarks came during an interaction with a high-level, 30-member Maldivian delegation visiting India to understand administrative practices and governance models.
The delegation, led by Ahmed Salim, Minister of State in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, includes 11 deputy ministers and 18 senior officials from various arms of the Maldivian government. Their visit aims to explore avenues for collaboration, knowledge exchange and capacity building across key sectors.
Highlighting the deep-rooted historical and cultural ties between India and the Maldives, Singh said that New Delhi remains committed to supporting the island nation’s administrative and developmental aspirations. He noted that India is willing to facilitate capacity-building programmes tailored for Maldivian officials, enabling them to benefit from India’s expertise in diverse fields.
Singh said areas such as public policy formulation, digital governance, marine resource management, blue economy expansion, fisheries development, infrastructure planning, and startup ecosystems provide immense scope for cooperation. The minister also underlined India’s leadership in ocean-based technologies and sustainable development practices, which could serve as valuable models for the Maldives, given its distinct geographical and economic needs.
He emphasised that India’s strong civil services framework, built on decades of administrative experience, ensures smooth coordination between ministries, departments and public service institutions. This, he said, reflects the country’s robust governance ecosystem shaped through continuous reforms under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Calling India a “living laboratory” of governance innovation, Singh urged the visiting officials to observe flagship initiatives such as the PM Gati Shakti Mission, which integrates infrastructure planning for seamless connectivity. He also asked them to study a range of social welfare programmes, including schemes for women empowerment like the provision of free LPG cylinders to economically weaker families, which have delivered impactful results on the ground.
Singh noted that India’s capacity-building programmes have been widely appreciated internationally, and assured the delegation that similar support will be extended to Maldivian officials through customised training modules, institutional partnerships and collaborative research.
He concluded by expressing confidence that this visit would further deepen the spirit of friendship between the two nations and strengthen their cooperation across administrative, developmental and technological fronts.