News Desk
MALE,’ — The governments of the Maldives and India on Sunday signed a series of agreements to establish fitness and recreation centres across 42 islands.
The initiative, funded under New Delhi’s High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDP) grant assistance scheme, underscores India’s growing neighborhood diplomacy through targeted local infrastructure projects.
The Memoranda of Understanding were formalised during a ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Malé. The documents were signed by the Foreign Minister, Iruthisham Adam, and the Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives, G. Balasubramanian. Abdulla Rafiu, the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Fitness, signed on behalf of the implementing agency.
The project aims to modernise local community spaces by supplying fitness equipment to dozens of the archipelago’s far-flung island communities. The initiative is intended to encourage healthier lifestyles and widen access to quality facilities, particularly for women and youth.
“This represents a meaningful investment in the health and well-being of island communities,” Ms. Adam said during the ceremony. She added that the project reflects the “Maldives First” foreign policy of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, an approach that purports to place domestic developmental priorities at the absolute centre of the nation’s international partnerships.
Both Maldivian ministers expressed gratitude to the Indian government for the grant. Ms. Adam offered specific appreciation to the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and the External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, for their “personal commitment to advancing bilateral cooperation.”
Following the ceremony, the Indian High Commission in the Maldives characterised the agreements on the social media platform X as “another milestone” in the development partnership between the two traditional allies.
