The "Pouring of First Concrete" of the Greater Malé Connectivity Project (GMCP), has been initiated.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi virtually initiated the pouring of the first concrete of the GMCP during a ceremony held on Tuesday.

The ceremony was broadcast live at the project launching and review ceremony in Hyderabad House, New Delhi, India.

The project in question, involves constructing a bridge that links Malé, Villimalé, Thilafushi, and Gulhifalhu.

Under the scope of the project, navigation bridges will also be constructed alongside viaducts and on-grade roads.

The project comes under a USD 400 million line of credit from Indian Exim Bank and a USD 100 million grant from the government of India.

It was awarded to Afcons Infrastructure Limited, an Indian-based company.

A video featuring the review of Maldives-India Development Cooperation was presented at the launching ceremony on Tuesday, showing the progress of 4,000 social housing units being constructed in the Maldives by the government of India.

With multiple key projects having been completed as a result of the partnership between Maldives and India, India remains a key partner in the island nation’s infrastructural development.

The friendship has significantly progressed in recent years, with several major development projects currently underway in the Maldives with the assistance of the Indian government. Relations between the neighbors were not so good during the previous administration of Former President Abdulla Yameen.