India has pledged to assist the Maldives in digitalizing its parliamentary resources, strengthening ties between the two nations. The commitment was made by Om Birla, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, during a meeting with Maldivian Speaker of the People’s Majlis, Abdul Raheem Abdulla, who is currently on a four-day official visit to India.
The two speakers met at the Lok Sabha premises in New Delhi on Tuesday. During the meeting, Abdul Raheem expressed admiration for the technological advancements and the digitalization efforts, including the use of artificial intelligence, within India’s parliamentary system. He requested Birla’s support in helping the People’s Majlis achieve similar progress in digitalizing its parliamentary resources.
Birla assured Abdul Raheem that India would extend every possible assistance in this regard, confirming the commitment to providing technical support for the Majlis’ digital transformation. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha also offered the Maldives the opportunity to utilize the resources of the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE) for capacity building of Maldivian lawmakers and officials.
Additionally, Birla highlighted the strong historical ties and people-to-people connections between India and the Maldives. He emphasized that the Maldives holds a special place in India’s ‘Neighborhood First’ policy, as well as in the country’s broader vision for regional cooperation under the SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) framework.
The meeting took place as part of Abdul Raheem’s official visit, which began on Monday at the invitation of both Birla and Jagdeep Dhankhar, the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India’s Parliament. Abdul Raheem was accompanied by a delegation of nine Maldivian parliamentarians, including members from across various constituencies in the Maldives.
The visit, according to the People’s Majlis, underscores the shared commitment of both nations to enhancing parliamentary cooperation and fostering deeper diplomatic relations. The collaboration between the Indian and Maldivian parliaments is expected to strengthen bilateral ties, particularly in the areas of governance, technology, and capacity building.
