"Centuries Old Relations, Key In Neighbourhood 1st Policy": PM On India-Maldives Ties
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed gratitude and reaffirmed the close ties between India and the Maldives during an official banquet hosted in his honour by Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu in Male.
Emphasising the depth of the bilateral relationship, PM Modi said, "India-Maldives relations are centuries old. We are neighbours, partners and true friends who stand together in times of need. Maldives holds a special place in India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy... This is not just diplomacy but a relation of deep affinity."
He reflected on the continuity of recent high-level engagements, saying, "Last year, the President visited India on a State Visit. Now, I have received the opportunity to be the first State Guest of his tenure."
Marking the significance of the occasion, he added, "Arriving here as the Guest of Honour on the 60th Independence Day of the Maldives is an honour for me. For this invitation, I express my gratitude to the President. On behalf of all the people of India, I extend heartfelt greetings to the people of the Maldives."
He noted that this visit comes at a symbolic moment for both nations. "This year, the 60th anniversary of India-Maldives relations is also being celebrated. This happy coincidence -- the 60th Independence Day of the Maldives and the 60th anniversary of India-Maldives relations -- has made my visit even more special," PM Modi said.
Underscoring the civilisational and cultural bonds, he remarked, "Our shared heritage is as old as the monsoon and as sweet as Addu Bondi. Our languages reflect the depth of our culture. Several words in Dhivehi have come from India... Our tastes are also similar... Absolutely perfect despite being different."
He also emphasised the strength of people-to-people ties between the two countries, saying, "The loving relations that have been formed between the people of our two nations for centuries are ever strong even today... Your tourist number 10 lakh this year turned out to be an Indian."
Reflecting the warmth of the occasion, President Mohamed Muizzu congratulated Prime Minister Modi for completing 4,078 consecutive days in office, making him the second-longest-serving Prime Minister of India in consecutive terms -- surpassing the record previously held by former PM Indira Gandhi.
Speaking at the official banquet hosted in honour of PM Modi during his two-day visit to the Maldives, Muizzu praised the Prime Minister's leadership.
"First of all, let me convey my heartiest congratulations to Your Excellency on becoming the second-longest-serving Prime Minister of India today," Muizzu said.
"This remarkable milestone, 4078 consecutive days in office, is a testament to your unwavering commitment to public service and dedication to the progress and prosperity of the Indian people," he added.
Notably, PM Modi is the first non-Congress Prime Minister to mark this achievement. Additionally, Narendra Modi is the first Prime Minister born after independence and the longest-serving from a non-Hindi state.
Narendra Modi, 74, took oath as Prime Minister for the first time on May 26, 2014 and has served a total of 11 years and 60 days in office till date.
The erstwhile Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had served for 11 years and 59 days in office in consecutive terms. She held the highest office as Prime Minister of India from January 24, 1966, to March 24, 1977.
Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, holds the record for the longest-serving Prime Minister in consecutive terms, spanning 16 years and 286 days, from August 15, 1947, to May 27, 1964.
The first Prime Minister born after India's independence, Prime Minister Modi, has previously served as the Prime Minister of India from 2014 to 2019 and from 2019 to 2024.
PM Modi is on a two-day visit to the Maldives at the invitation of President Muizzu, where he held a bilateral meeting with Muizzu and announced several agreements to boost cooperation in trade, agriculture, health, and social welfare, providing the South Asian nation with an extra push in its development journey.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
4 minutes ago
- Time of India
MeitY wants tariff shield for electronics exports
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills India wants its fledgling electronics exports, dependent largely on the US markets for overseas earnings, to be treated differently from Washington-bound shipments from established global players, such as those based in China and Southeast Asia, when the Oval Office fixes tariffs for these product of electronics, lately undergirded by federal financial support in India, would require a relatively favourable tariff landscape to fill US retailing shelves against competition from established exporters from mainland China, Vietnam, Taiwan and Malaysia, said an official from the Ministry Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY)."The US is the largest destination for not only our overall electronics sector, but also for a range of individual electronic products,' said the official cited above. 'The large-scale production of many of these are now kicking in, due to government support over the past few years. It is crucial they don't face tariff barriers at this point, and we have communicated that to the Commerce Department."India's commerce ministry is at the vanguard of the ongoing Washington-New Delhi talks that would shape the final tariff landscape for bilateral trade. The MEITY official said it made the request to the commerce ministry for helping shield Indian electronics from the applicable continental tariffs dragnet during the recent inter-ministerial talks on the trade 2024, the United States imported a combined $478 billion of electrical machinery and electronics, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, an online repository of global trade data begun as a research project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. China (26.1 percent), Mexico (18 percent), Vietnam (8.8 percent), Taiwan (6.7 percent), and Malaysia (5.9 percent) made up the largest share of sectoral exports. Meanwhile, India was the 9th largest source of shipments, with a 3 percent a last-minute postponement, as was the case in early July, the US will levy 26% average tariffs on all goods imported from India beginning August 1, over and above a 10 percent baseline tariff imposed on most ' reciprocal tariffs ' initially announced by US President Donald Trump on April 2 would especially hit Indian electronics exports, which have historically had much lower or nil tariffs, officials said."While smartphones, computers, and semiconductors were temporarily exempted from the tariffs, the US had threatened separate, sector-specific tariffs on these until last month," said the official cited to the Commerce Department data, US-bound electronic exports stood at $15.89 billion in 2024-25, up 43.5 percent from $11.08 billion in the preceding year. Within this, smartphones and telecom instruments made up the largest chunk of exports at $10.56 billion, up from $5.56 billion in 2023-24. Smartphone exports shot up 89 percent in FY25, after rising 158 and 210 percent in FY24 and FY23, government is especially concerned about the second largest export sub-category within electronics, components, which tanked 32.7 percent to $1.81 billion in 2024-25, down from $2.69 billion in 2023-24. This is mostly due to a 43.85 percent slump in the export of photovoltaic cells (PVC) assembled in modules, or made up into panels, due to rising domestic production in the US, increasing competition by Chinese producers as well as increasing scrutiny of shipments from India and South East Asian countries at US ports to stop circumvention of Chinese goods, officials instruments exports stood at $1.4 billion, rising 12.10 percent from $1.25 billion in the preceding year. Also, computer hardware of $154.08 million was exported to the US, rising 51 percent from $101.5 million in 2023-24. Another area where the government hopes to raise exports is consumer electronics, which fell 5.3 percent in the latest year to $115 million.
The Hindu
4 minutes ago
- The Hindu
The Hindu Morning Digest, July 29, 2025
Ceasefire had no linkage with U.S. trade: Jaishankar in Parliament In a clear rebuttal of the repeated assertions by U.S. President Donald Trump that he stopped the recent India-Pakistan conflict, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told the Lok Sabha that there was no phone call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Trump during the tense phase with Pakistan after the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Mr. Trump has said on multiple occasions that he extracted a ceasefire from India and Pakistan by threatening to cut off trade if they continued fighting. Yemen revokes Nimisha Priya's death sentence, claims Kanthapuram The execution of Malayali nurse Nimisha Priya, who is on a death row for the alleged murder of Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi, has been revoked by the Houthi militia in Yemeni capital Sanaa, office of Sunni leader Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar claimed. However, Indian officials handling the case did not confirm the development. India, Pakistan would still be at war if not for his intervention, Trump repeats ceasefire claim India and Pakistan would still be warring with each other, if not for his intervention, U.S. President Donald Trump said. The U.S. President made the remarks before beginning talks with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Trump Turnberry golf course in Scotland. The President also claimed, again, repeated his claim that he used trade as leverage to get New Delhi and Islamabad to stop fighting in early May this year, after terrorists opened fire and killed 26 civilians in Pahalgam. New Delhi has consistently denied Mr. Trump's claims that he was instrumental in bringing about the May 10 ceasefire between the two countries. At least 34 killed in heavy rains and flooding in and near Beijing Heavy rains and flooding killed 30 people in Beijing, China's capital, the country's state media reported on Tuesday (July 29, 2025), bringing the death toll from the storms in the region to at least 34. State broadcaster CCTV said that 28 people had died in Beijing's hard-hit Miyun district and two others in Yanqing district as of midnight. Both are outlying parts of the sprawling city, far from the downtown. Why did Justice Varma submit to in-house inquiry if it was contrary to Constitution, Supreme Court asks The Supreme Court questioned High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma's choice to submit to an in-house inquiry procedure into an allegation of 'burnt cash' found at his official residential premises in Delhi, despite finding the procedure to be 'completely contrary to the Constitutional scheme'. The query came after senior advocate Kapil Sibal complained that the action taken by the Supreme Court at the time, including release of sensitive visual and audio materials showing 'burnt currency', 'convicted' Justice Varma in the public eye. Opposition questions government on security lapses which led to Pahalgam terror attack Opposition parties, led by the Congress, questioned the Centre over 'security lapses' which had led to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. The parties also attacked the government over the sudden 'ceasefire' declaration and as well as claims made by U.S. President Donald Trump on having brokered it. The Congress's deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, who opened the debate from Opposition ranks on the special discussion about 'India's strong, successful and decisive Operation Sindoor in response to the terror attack in Pahalgam', said Home Minister Amit Shah should take responsibility for the security lapses. Protests over SIR continue; Rajya Sabha fails to function Rajya Sabha failed to function as the Opposition MPs continued to protest over the issue of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar. This is the sixth consecutive sitting when no significant business could be transacted in the Upper House of Parliament. The Opposition had moved 26 notices under Rule 267 demanding discussion on various issues. Fourteen of these notices were on SIR exercise. Presidential Reference 'misleading', wants Supreme Court to sit on appeal against its own verdict in T.N. Governor case, says Kerala to Supreme Court The States of Tamil Nadu and Kerala urged the Supreme Court to dismiss the Presidential Reference seeking clarity on whether judiciary can fix timelines for the President and State Governors to clear State Bills, saying it is a ruse to make the apex court sit in appeal of its own authoritative pronouncement in the Tamil Nadu Governor case. The Constitution, both States said, did not allow the apex court to sit in appeal of its own judgments, nor can the President vest appellate jurisdiction in the court through a Presidential Reference. Tamil Nadu and Kerala termed the Reference as 'misleading' replete with 'suppressed facts'. West Bengal's 2002 SIR electoral roll appears on CEO site amidst speculations of fresh voter list revision Amid speculations of a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) being conducted for West Bengal's electoral roll, the 2002 voters' list of some districts has been made available online on the website of the State's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO). Reportedly, the last SIR of the voters' list in West Bengal was conducted in 2002. This development assumes significance considering that in Bihar, the last SIR was conducted in 2003 and the electoral roll of that year has been kept as a reference point for the submission of identification documents for the SIR of 2025. Assam govt prepares for mega eviction drive in Golaghat, to affect 2,000 families The Assam government is preparing to clear more than 10,000 bigha (over 3,300 acre) of land from alleged encroachments in Golaghat district, which will affect at least 2,000 families, officials said. The eviction drive will begin on Tuesday (July 29, 2025) morning in Rengma Reserve Forest in Uriamghat along the Assam-Nagaland border in Sarupathar sub-division, they said. IIM Calcutta to allow student out on bail in rape case to attend classes, bars him from hostel Premanand Mahaveer Toppanavar, the student of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, who was accused of raping a woman on campus, has been allowed to resume classes after receiving bail, the Institute's director-in-charge, Saibal Chattopadhyay, told The Hindu. 'He is attending classes from today. Access to the hostel is barred for the time being,' Mr Chattopadhyay said. He added that the decision was taken in an emergency academic council meeting held on Friday. NIA submits reports on Jiribam killings, Manipur HC gives one month to file chargesheet The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has submitted two sealed reports to the Manipur High Court on the progress it has made in the Jiribam case in which six women and children of the Meitei community were abducted and later found dead in the Barak River in November last year. Taking it on record, the court told the probe agency to submit a detailed report in terms of the chargesheet within one month. SIT, along with complainant, inspects spots of alleged burials near Dharmasthala Officials of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing into the allegations of a series of murders and burials at Dharmasthala, along with the complainant-witness, inspected some spots near Dharmasthala on Monday where the latter has claimed to have buried bodies. According to official sources, the inspection of the spots of burials was part of the process to obtain permission to exhume bodies. After completing the inspection, a report will be submitted to the jurisdictional revenue officer to seek permission to exhume bodies. Muslim cleric booked for 'objectionable' remarks on Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav A Muslim cleric has been booked for allegedly making objectionable and inflammatory remarks against Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav during a televised debate, an official said on Monday (July 28, 2025). The FIR against cleric Maulana Sajid Rashidi was lodged at the Vibhuti Khand police station on Sunday (July 27, 2025) evening on a complaint by local resident Pravesh Yadav. The remarks in question were allegedly made in response to Dimple Yadav's recent visit to a mosque, where the cleric reportedly commented inappropriately on her attire. The complaint accused Rashidi of making statements that were not only derogatory and misogynistic, but also "highly provocative and aimed at inciting religious disharmony and communal tension," according to the FIR. Industrial growth pulled down to 10-month low of 1.5% in June Growth in industrial activity slowed to a 10-month low of 1.5% in June 2025, down from 1.9% in May. This slowdown was driven by the mining sector, which saw its worst performance in 58 months, and also by contractions in the electricity and primary goods sectors. Data on the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, showed the index last witnessed worse growth numbers in August 2024. Thailand and Cambodia agree to 'immediate and unconditional' ceasefire, Malaysian PM says Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to an 'immediate and unconditional' ceasefire from midnight to resolve deadly border clashes, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said. Mr. Anwar, who chaired the talks as head of the ASEAN regional bloc, said both sides have reached a common understanding to take steps to return to normalcy. Earlier, ceasefire talks have started between Thailand and Cambodian leaders in Malaysia in an urgent effort to resolve deadly border clashes that entered a fifth day despite mounting international calls for peace. Supreme Court takes suo motu cognisance of report over dog bites leading to rabies The Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of a media report about incidents of dog bites leading to rabies. A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan termed the news item published today in an English daily's Delhi edition as "very disturbing and alarming". It said every day, hundreds of dog bites were being reported in the city and on its outskirts, leading to rabies and ultimately, children and the aged were falling prey to the dreadful disease. FIDE Women's World Cup: Divya Deshmukh is the first Indian woman champion, becomes Grandmaster Divya Deshmukh is the World Cup winner. She is also India's latest Grandmaster, only the fourth Indian woman to get that most coveted of titles in chess. The 19-year-old from Nagpur recorded the greatest moment of her young career when she beat fellow-Indian Koneru Humpy in the tiebreakers of the World Cup final at Batumi, Georgia. Both games in the classical format had been drawn, leading to the shootout in speed chess.
Economic Times
4 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Parliament News Live Updates: Discussion on Operation Sindoor to continue today; PM Modi, Amit Shah address likely
29 Jul 2025 | 06:23:44 AM IST As Parliament continues its discussion on Operation Sindoor, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address the Lok Sabha today between 12:00 to 1:00 pm, followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's expected speech in the evening, ANI has reported citing a government source. As the Parliament continues its discussion on Operation Sindoor, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to deliver his speech in the evening, according to a government source said that Home Minister Amit Shah will address the Lok Sabha between 12:00 to 1:00 pm on Lok Sabha on Monday afternoon began discussion on 'India's strong, successful and decisive Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam. The debate was initiated by Defence Minister Rajnath Defence Minister, while speaking in the Lower House, said, "The objective of Operation Sindoor was not to cross the border or capture the territory, it was to eliminate terror nurseries which Pakistan had nurtured for years, and provide justice to the innocent families who lost their loved ones in cross-border attacks."According to a statement from the Defence Ministry, he termed Pakistan-sponsored terrorism as not "Random Madness", but a "well-planned strategy" and a "fundamental rage", emphasising that the overall politico-military objective of Operation Sindoor was to punish Pakistan for fighting a proxy war in the form of asserted that, during Operation Sindoor, India not only demonstrated its military capability, but also its national resolve, morality and political acumen, stressing that New Delhi will give a decisive and clear answer to any terrorist attack."Those who provide shelter and support to terrorism will not be spared. India is not going to bow down to any kind of nuclear blackmailing or other pressures," he said. Show more Thailand's army accused Cambodia of violating the countries' truce agreement on Tuesday, saying clashes continued despite a deal to pause combat along their jungle frontier."After a ceasefire had been declared, disturbances were reported in the Phu Makua area caused by the Cambodian side, leading to an exchange of fire between both sides that continued until morning," Thai army deputy spokesman Ritcha Suksuwanon said in a statement. "In addition, clashes also occurred in the Sam Taet area and continued until 5:30 am (2230 GMT)." Oil extended gains on Tuesday, lifted by hopes of improved economic activity after the U.S.-EU trade deal, a potential U.S.-China tariff truce and President Donald Trump's shorter deadline for Russia to end the Ukraine crude futures were up 24 cents, or 0.34%, to $70.28 a barrel by 0000 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $66.93 a barrel, up 22 cents, or 0.33%.Both contracts settled more than 2% higher in the previous session, and Brent touched its highest level since July 18 on Monday. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will visit Japan on Tuesday for talks with his counterpart and then travel to the United States for a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, South Korea's foreign ministry said. Heavy rains in the Chinese capital Beijing have killed 30 people and prompted authorities to evacuate 80,000, state media said Tuesday. As the Parliament continues its discussion on Operation Sindoor, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to deliver his speech in the evening, according to source said that Home Minister Amit Shah will address the Lok Sabha between 12:00 to 1:00 pm on Tuesday.
