False Claims About India 'Buying' 28 Islands from The Maldives Goes Viral

Following Minister of External Affairs (MEA) S Jaishankar's visit to the Maldives, social media posts went claiming that India 'bought' 28 islands from the Maldives went viral.

• A video is being shared with the claim with images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jaishankar and Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu. The clip carries the logo of the news outlet, Zee News.

The claim: Those sharing wrote, "India bought 28 islands from the Maldives. Maldives handover its 28 Islands to India. President Muizzu himself signed the agreement. This is the power of Narendra Modi Government."

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is this true?: No, the claim is misleading.

• The agreement is related to water & sanitation projects on 28 islands funded by the Exim Bank through the Indian Line of Credit Facility. The sanitation project is worth ₹923 crore in the Maldives.

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What we found: At first, we conducted a relevant keyword search using the sentence, "India bought 28 islands from the Maldives," but did not find any credible sources to back the claim.

• The keyword search results showed multiple news reports about a new water and sanitation project between India and the Maldives.

• Press Trust of India (PTI) and India Today noted that S Jaishankar delivered a significant water and sanitation project valued at around ₹923 crore from India to the Maldives, covering 28 islands.

• The minister referred to the Water and Sanitation Projects on 28 islands as the biggest climate adaptation carried out in the Maldives with global cooperation, sponsored by the Exim Bank of India through the Indian Line of Credit Facility.

• We, then, checked the MEA's website and found Jaishankar's address which he delivered in Male, Maldives.

• The minister said that India looked forward to the virtual inauguration and handing over of the water and sewerage projects across 28 islands.

• Similarly, we found the video of the virtual inauguration of the project on YouTube on MEA's channel.

• We went through the X account of the President's office of the Maldives and came across a post from 10 August.

• The post stated, "President H.E. Dr @MMuizzu attended the official handover ceremony for the water and sewerage facilities on 28 islands. The Indian External Affairs Minister, H.E. @DrSJaishankar, presented a token to Maldives' Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Moosa Zameer, symbolizing the transfer of these facilities from the Government of India to the Government of Maldives." (sic.)

President H.E. Dr @MMuizzu attended the official handover ceremony for the water and sewerage facilities on 28 islands. The Indian External Affairs Minister, H.E. @DrSJaishankar, presented a token to Maldives' Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Moosa Zameer, symbolizing the… pic.twitter.com/5HuAMF3Tef

— The President's Office (@presidencymv) August 10, 2024

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• Previously, the Government of India (GoI) has funded other projects related to sports and development in the Maldives via the Exim Bank.

• The Water and Sanitation Project is aimed at providing clean drinking water and implement a sewage system in numerous other islands, directly affecting the lives of more than 28,000 Maldivians, noted India Today.

The Quint has reached out to the MEA for further inputs and the story will be updated once the response is received.

Conclusion: Social media users have falsely claimed that India bought 28 islands from the Maldives.

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