New Delhi, Sept 13: Planning Commission Deputy Chairman K C Pant will leave for a four day trip to Maldives today where he would discuss issues of mutual interest and make suggestions for strengthening the Maldivian plan process. The visit is in response to Maldivian Minister of Planning and National Development I H Zaki`s invitation to pant during his trip to India last year.
Zaki had said his country would like to learn from the Indian experience in planning, it and other economic issues. Pant would meet President of Maldives and ministers of finance and treasury and external affairs during his stay there (September 14-17).
The leaders would discuss the several projects in which assistance has been sought by Maldives including supply of equipment for land reclamation and waste disposal project under the population consolidation and development programme which is under consideration. India had under the first phase of the programme given Maldives equipment worth Rs 3.5 crore and material worth Rs 73 lakh for construction of jetties.
An agreement is expected to be signed soon between a maldivian organisation and ISRO to conduct aerial survey required for digital mapping by early 2004 to update digital charts.
Pant would discuss with Maldivian leaders the issues related to construction of breakwater barriers around Hulhumale Island for protection. The report of the team of Indian shipping ministry who visited the place in may this year is awaited. The Indian agriculture ministry has already taken up a project for making the island ecologically and agriculturally viable. Bureau Report