Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh interacted with a 30-member delegation led by Mr.  Ahmed Salim, Minister of State, Ministry of State, Local Government and Public Works, Republic of Maldives. The delegation comprising of 11 Deputy Ministers and 18 Senior Officials of the Government of Maldives is attending the Capacity Building Training Programme on Smart City Mission for Ministers & Officials of Maldives. The programme is organized by the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) and sponsored by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.

Addressing the programme, MoS (PP) highlighted the shared legacy and historical ties between the two nations. The Minister said that India is willing to facilitate the capacity building of Maldivian Officials and share knowledge and expertise in various areas such as public policy, governance, blue economy, marine resource management, ocean-based technologies, fisheries, startup policies & infrastructure development. He highlighted the progress and development in administrative reforms, good governance practices, capacity building evolved over the years under PM Modi.

He emphasized that India has a robust civil service system, which ensures effective coordination between various governance institutions, including different ministries, departments, and public service bodies. He urged the officials to see and learn from initiatives such as PM Gati Shakti Mission for infrastructure development, women empowerment schemes such as free gas cylinders to economically weaker women etc. He said that India is willing to curate need-based programmes in key sectors as per requirement of the Maldivian officials.

In conclusion, Dr. Singh reaffirmed India’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties with Maldives and pledged continued cooperation to further deepen the relationship between the two nations and their people. He also described the capacity-building programme as a milestone in bilateral relations, offering an opportunity for cross-cultural understanding and joint initiatives. Dr. Singh expressed confidence that, through shared knowledge and experiences, both nations could fortify the foundations of effective governance for mutual benefit.

Dr. Surendra Kumar Bagde, IAS, Director General, NCGG informed about the overall capacity building programme and emphasized how the NCGG is curating customized programmes focusing on key sectors to facilitate the learning and development of officers from Maldives so that their capacities to implement and design programmes for the overall development of the country can be achieved.

Speaking on the occasion head of delegation Mr. Ahmed Salim, Minister of State, Ministry of State, Local Government and Public Works expressed gratitude to the Government of India for facilitating this unique learning opportunity. He stated that they are hopeful to learn and gain extensively from the program. He emphasized that it is mission to learn from the most ambitious and successful urban transformation initiatives. He stressed that the smart city mission is a beacon of innovation, demonstrating how technology, governance and citizen engagements converge to create sustainable urban environments for millions of people.

The two-week programme is being organized from 3^rd November, 2025 to 14^th November, 2025 in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). It is pertinent to mention that NCGG has till date trained 1206 civil servants including Permanent Secretaries, Secretary Generals and High-Level Delegates from Maldives over a total of 39 Capacity Building Programmes in Field Administration for the Civil Servants of Maldives following the renewal of the MoU in August, 2024 to train 1000 civil servants.

*****

NKR/AK

 

(Release ID: 2189681) Visitor Counter : 197