High Commissioner of India to the Maldives His Excellency Sunjay Sudir, State Ministers, Government Officials,
Ladies and gentlemen
Today, we are here celebrating the completion of the renovation project undertaken at the Fiyavathi home for vulnerable children in Hulhumalé - one of the many projects carried out under the grant assistance of the Government of India.
Society has a responsibility to protect children from harm. And as duty bearer, the State has a moral and ethical responsibility to care for children who are in a position of socioeconomic vulnerability. The renovation of Fiyavathi aims to address this responsibility, by providing the children with a safe and pleasant atmosphere, with well-established amenities.
The physiological and psychological development of children, through the passage of childhood to mature adult, requires close and careful nurturing in a conducive environment – an environment that children can learn vital social skills in, play, enjoy and feel at home. It is for this reason that this Government pursued this project and it is our sincere hope that children, as one of the most vulnerable societal groups are given adequate attention and care.
A cash grant of approximately 1.9 million rufiyaa was allocated to this Project from the larger grant assistance of 106 million rufiyaa, extended to the Government of Maldives in March 2019.
I thank the Indian Government for its continuous support for the people, and the local communities, of the Maldives, by facilitating several of these socially impactful projects across the country. Thank you, to Minister of External Affairs Dr Jaishankar, for his close and personal commitment to the Maldives-India partnership. And thankyou to the High Commissioner, and his team at the High Commission, for their exceptional commitment and dedication towards the people of the Maldives.
I would like to congratulate the Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services on the completion of the projects, especially the management of Fiyavathi Home. We are committed to working with you, in supporting the Ministry conduct its extremely important work, for the people of the Maldives.
The traditionally close, bilateral relationship between the Maldives and India have been strengthened and deepened since November 2018. This is in no doubt, due to the close relationship between leaders of both countries, and their commitment to a strong Maldives-India partnership that delivers.
And with this gesture of kindness and goodwill, we hope that the close bilateral ties between the Maldives and India continues to prosper.
Thank you.