The Indian Ambassador to the Maldives, G. Balasubramanian, has assured full cooperation with the work of the Malé City Council.

The Ambassador gave this assurance during a meeting held today with Malé City Mayor Adam Azim at the City Council office. At the meeting, the Ambassador said that in the coming days, ties with the City Council would be further strengthened and that India’s full cooperation would be extended to the work being carried out by the Council.

Mayor Azim discussed with the Ambassador the challenges faced in the political administration of institutions, and thanked the Ambassador for the assistance provided by India during the previous term. He also highlighted areas of possible joint work under the partnership between the two sides, as well as areas in need of training.

Azim noted that during this term, top priority would be given to enhancing the Council’s capacity and developing human resources. In this regard, he emphasised the importance of short-term vocational training programmes, digital professions, and training for pre-school teachers and SEN (Special Educational Needs) teachers under the Council’s purview.

The Ambassador said that courses are already being conducted under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme, and that further training opportunities could be provided. Notably, last year 14 City Council employees were trained through ITEC, while this year one person has been trained in the field of Good Governance.

The two also discussed establishing ‘Sister City’ ties between Indian municipal corporations and the Malé City Council. The Ambassador advised strengthening ties through MOUs with entities such as the Chennai Corporation, while the two also spoke about community-beneficial projects such as procuring outdoor gym equipment and setting up public reading spaces (“book-reading facilities”) in common areas.