Rajnath, Maldives minister launch Delhi-assisted harbour construction

News Snapshot:

India and Maldives marked a major step in their growing defence cooperation on Wednesday by launching construction of a harbour for the Coast Guard of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF). The foundation stone for the Coast Guard ‘Ekatha Harbour’ was laid by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Maldivian counterpart, Mariya Didi, at Sifavaru in Uthuru Thila Falhu (UTF) atoll, where India is assisting in construction of a naval dockyard. The UTF Harbour Project, as it is called, is among the biggest Indian grant-in-aid projects in Maldives. Singh was on a three-day visit to Maldives that ended Wednesday. The...