The Government of India has decided to support the procurement of children’s park equipment for 67 islands of the Maldives.
A ceremony was held on November 9 to recognise and appreciate the Indian government’s support towards the procurement of children’s park equipment for 67 islands. The ceremony was held at the National Stadium, in the presence of the Foreign Secretary of India Harsh Vardhan Shringla who is in the Maldives on an official visit. The ceremony was attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid, Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment Ahmed Mahloof, High Commissioner of India to the Maldives Sunjay Sudhir, and senior officials from the two governments.
A total of USD 435,000 was allocated to the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment to procure children’s park equipment in 67 islands. The project is intended to encourage the children of Maldives to lead an active and healthy lifestyle, thus improving their physical and mental wellbeing.
Speaking at the event, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid highlighted that parks are an important avenue for children to cultivate social skills, and develop their emotional and cognitive capacity. He highlighted that ensuring physical and mental wellbeing of children is an important priority of the Government, and providing spaces for children to play and learn important social skills played an important part in this regard.
The financial support has been provided from the grant assistance of USD 6.9 million granted to the Maldives by the Government of India during the visit of the Minister of External Affairs of India in March 2019. The aim of the grant assistance is to conduct socio-economic development projects across the country which are of high impact. The projects under this grant are managed by local authorities.