Brain Booster for UPSC & State PCS Examination (Topic: New Consulate General of India in Maldives)

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New Consulate General of India in Maldives

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister has approved the opening of first Consulate General of India in Addu City, Maldives in 2021.

Opening of a consulate general in Addu City will help augment India’s diplomatic presence in Maldives and make it commensurate with the existing and aspired level of engagement.
Augmentation of India’s diplomatic presence will provide market access for Indian companies and bolster Indian exports of goods and services.
The opening of the consulate will also have a direct impact in augmenting domestic production and employment in line with Indian government's goal of a self-reliant India or Atmanirbhar Bharat.

India and Maldives share ethnic, linguistic, cultural, religious and commercial links steeped in antiquity.
Indians are the second largest expatriate community in the Maldives, with an approximate strength of 22,000. About 25% of doctors and teachers in the Maldives are Indians.
Maldives occupies an important place in the ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’ and the ‘SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision of the Government of India.
Bilateral relations have also benefited from President Ibrahim Solih’s “India First” policy.
India is currently implementing large infrastructure projects worth $2 billion, such as ports, roads, bridges, water and sanitation, in the Maldives.
The Maldives also received considerable assistance from India since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was the first country to receive made-in-India vaccines in January, when New Delhi gifted 100,000 doses.
This was preceded by health and humanitarian assistance provided in 2020, including nearly 12 tonnes of medicines, and a soft loan of $250 million for budgetary support.

"Neighbourhood First Policy" is part of India’s foreign policy that accords primacy to nations in India’s periphery.
It also includes in its ambit the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) —a grouping that includes almost all countries of South Asia and some in South-East Asia.