Will be very happy to facilitate the growth of IT industry in Maldives, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah tells President Muizzu

Bengaluru, Oct 9 (IANS) Welcoming Maldives President Mohammed Muizzu and First Lady Sajidha Mohammed to Bengaluru, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said his government would be happy to facilitate the growth of the IT industry in the Indian Ocean nation.

In his address at the Raj Bhavan at a luncheon hosted for the Maldives President, CM Siddaramaiah said: "I am given to understand that the government of Maldives is interested in having partnerships with the leading IT industry of Bengaluru."

"We are known as the Silicon Valley of India and have developed an ecosystem for start-ups, Artificial Intelligence, global capacity building centres as well as an Innovation hub. We will be very happy to facilitate the growth of the IT industry in Maldives."

"At the same time, we would be happy to have trade ties with Maldives to promote the marketing of our handicrafts and handlooms to reach out to a large number of tourists visiting Maldives," the Chief Minister said.

Noting that Karnataka is known for its diversity of nature, culture, and rich heritage, he said: "Our poet Laureate Kuvempu has called Karnataka 'Sarva Janangada Shantiya Thota', which means 'a garden of peace for all communities'."

"Our Tourism tagline is – “One State, Many Worlds”. Apart from almost 300 kilometres of coastline, we have the world's second-largest Shola Forest hosting tiger and bird sanctuaries. We look forward to a partnership with Maldives to promote educational and cultural exchanges," he underlined.

"I am extremely pleased to host the visit of the delegation from Maldives led by the President and the First Lady at Bengaluru. I am pleased to note that the First Lady was a student in Bengaluru," Siddaramaiah said.

Governor Thawarchand Gehlot, the Maldives High Commissioner and other dignitaries were present at the event.

President Muizzu and the First Lady arrived at the KempeGowda International Airport in Bengaluru in a special Indian Air Force (IAF) aeroplane. He was welcomed by Higher Education Minister M.C. Sudhakar. Chief Secretary Shalini Rajaneesh, Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner Uma Mahadevan, Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Rural District N. Shivashankar, and Bengaluru Police Commissioner B. Dayananda were also present at the airport.