India Commits to Support Maldives in Parliamentary Digitalization
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Synopsis
India has pledged extensive technical support for the Maldives to enhance its parliamentary digital resources. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla assured 'every possible help' during discussions with the Maldivian delegation, emphasizing the strong bilateral ties and technological advancements in the Indian Parliament.
Key Takeaways
- India to provide technical assistance for Maldives digitization.
- Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla emphasized strong relations.
- Indian Parliament offers interpretation in 15 languages.
- Maldives aims to utilize technology for its Majlis.
- Historical ties strengthened after recent presidential visit.
New Delhi/Male, Feb 11 (NationPress) India on Tuesday expressed its commitment to provide comprehensive technical assistance to the Maldives for the digitization of its parliamentary resources. The assurance of “every possible help” was made by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla during discussions with the visiting Maldivian delegation, led by Abdul Raheem Abdulla, Speaker of the People’s Majlis, at Parliament House.
Birla emphasized India’s strong ties with the Maldives, describing the island nation as a key ally and a fundamental component of India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and the vision of ‘SAGAR’.
During the talks, Birla detailed the progress made by the Indian Parliament in its digital transformation and the integration of AI to improve legislative effectiveness. He shared that the Indian Parliament now offers simultaneous interpretation services in 15 regional languages, with plans to expand this to 22 languages soon.
Abdulla, who is on a four-day official visit to India, commended the technological advancements and digitalization efforts in the Indian Parliament and requested Birla’s support in aiding the Maldives Majlis with its digitization initiatives.
Welcoming the delegation, the Lok Sabha Speaker highlighted the historical and cultural connections between the two nations, noting the revitalized momentum in their relations following President Mohamed Muizzu’s visit to India last year. He expressed hope that the Maldivian Parliamentary delegation’s visit would further enhance bilateral ties.
"Pleased to note the Maldives Speaker’s recognition of the technology, digitalization, and AI efforts by the Indian Parliament, along with his request for technological assistance for the Maldives Majlis. I assured him of full support from the Indian Parliament to the People’s Majlis of Maldives in this endeavor. I also mentioned the training of Maldives' legislature officers through the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE), allowing the People’s Majlis of Maldives to utilize PRIDE’s resources for developing their legislators and officials," Birla shared on X after the meeting.
The Majlis Speaker participated in the sessions of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, praising the digitization efforts and the application of technology, particularly AI and multilingual interpretation services.
He also toured the Parliament Library, appreciating its facilities and expressing hope that similar resources would be established in the Maldives Parliament Library.
