Connecting through ferry service; India, Maldives to reach great zenith of strengthening partnership

New Delhi, July 3: Aligning developing partnership, leading partners India and Maldives have exhibited strong bilateral ties over the past few years. Continuing the legacy of fortifying relation, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave an approving nod for the establishment of passenger and cargo services by sea.

 

Giving an ex-post facto approval for the Memorandum of Understanding, the Union Cabinet accepted the agreement signed on June 8, 2019, during PM Modi’s visit to Maldives. Heading towards strengthening ties, currently, India has provided US $100 million Stand-by Credit facility (SCF) to Maldives, including long-term loans and revolving credit for trade.

With a view to harness the potential opportunity that lies in passenger and cargo transportation by sea between the two countries, this MoU with Maldives has been signed. The proposed ferry service would contribute in a big way to promote people to people contact and to boost bilateral trade.

God’s own country Kerala’s Kochi city has been very popular among the tourists. Sighting the need to take forward this growing prospect, Maldives’s Male and Kochi were chosen for ferry services for both tourism and cargo. While Male is situated at a distance of 708 Kms from Kochi, Kulhudhuffushi is 509 Kms away.

Kulhudhuffushi and the islands around are a major population centre in the northern part of Maldives and have a large number of resorts which could be possible tourist destinations for Indians. Present connectivity involves flights to Male and sea planes to the resorts, which is an expensive option.

On the other hand, connectivity with Kochi through sea could promote inbound tourism, particularly health and wellness tourism for India. A large number of Maldivians also travel to Kerala and other South Indian cities for educational purposes.