Inauguration of the Kolhufushi Streetlights project
The Kolhufushi Streetlights project was inaugurated on 14 September 2020, in the presence of Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid,President of the Kolhufushi Council Hussain Shamil,High Commissioner Sunjay Sudhir, along with officials from the President’s Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and High Commission of India.
The Kolhufushi streetlights project has been executed by the Kolhufushi Island Council through an Indian grant assistance of MVR 1.5 million. This project forms part of the over 27 grant projects funded by India across the Maldives under a total assistance of USD 12.5 (approx. MVR 200 million) extended in March 2019.
As part of this project, 115 streetlights have been installed in Kolhufushi, an island in the beautiful Atoll of Meemu that suffered serious damages during the devastating Tsunami of December 2004. India is privileged to be associated with this project which will provide safety and security to the inhabitants of the island, especially women, children and the elderly.
In his remarks, High Commissioner Sudhir called the Kolhufushi project a perfect candidate for inclusion in India’s High-Impact Community Development Project scheme under which several grant projects are being implemented in the Maldives. He remarked that the nature of the project was such that it would impact eachand every inhabitant of the island. High Commissioner emphasized that the selection and implementation of India-funded projects in the Maldives is done in a collaborative manner involvingkey stakeholders - the local community, the local Councils and the Government of Maldives. He noted that as in the case of the Kolhufushi streetlights project, the Local Councils are involved in each stage of implementation of India’s grant projects in the Maldives. Once the project is completed, the Council and local community have full ownership of the project.
The grant projects constitute an important dimension of the dynamic development partnership between India and the Maldives. These projects are essentially driven by the needs of the local community as is the case of the MeemuKolhufushi project. Furthermore, the projects are implemented through the local Councils/relevant Ministries under the overall coordination of the Government of Maldives.? The grant projects supported by India across various islands align perfectly with the vision of decentralization of the Government of President Solih.
The impact of a project cannot be gauged from the quantum of funds involved in its execution. The Kolhufushi streetlights project is a perfect example of this. Though relatively small in size, this high-impact project has helped in lighting up the streets and the lives of the island community of Kolhufushi.
India is proud to partner with the Government of Maldives in the realization of such meaningful and socially beneficial projects.
(14 September 2020)
