India is the biggest contributor to the tourism industry of Maldives. As per the data collected by the Maldives Tourism Ministry, 209,198 Indians went to Maldives last year, and more than 450,000 travelled to the islands in the last two years.
According to the MEA, India provides around 70 per cent of defence training requirements of the Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF). In the last decade, India has trained over 1500 MNDF personnel besides providing air assets for air surveillance.
India is the preferred destination for Maldivians to avail affordable specialised medical treatments and surgeries that are either unavailable or limited in their home country.
Whether it be providing support in thwarting the November 1988 coup to assisting in recovery following the devastating December 2004 tsunami, or addressing recent challenges like shortages of drinking water - New Delhi has always been there for Maldives
On January 20, 2021, the Maldives became the 1st country to receive 100,000 doses of India-manufactured vaccines within 96 hours of country-wide rollout in India. In 2020, India swiftly dispatched 30,000 doses of measles vaccine to prevent an outbreak in the Maldives.
Since 2019, over 2,200 Maldivians have visited India for various in-person training programmes. India has also allotted 10 seats every year to the Maldives under its India Science and Research Fellowship programme.
When former prez Yameen was in power, his pro-China credentials meant the island nation was ensnared in a debt trap. To help Maldives, India extended eight ‘Line of Credit’ Projects worth $1.3 billion. Meanwhile, $400mn was granted for funding the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP).