New Delhi, Sept. 19 -- The Maldives has repaid a loan of $150 million from India by settling the final tranche of treasury bills subscribed by the State Bank of India even as the Indian Ocean archipelago grapples with pressing economic issues. The final tranche of treasury bills worth $50 million, out of a total of $150 million subscribed by the State Bank of India (SBI), was settled by the Maldives government on September 17, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a regular media briefing on Friday. The treasury bills were subscribed by SBI in 2019 and had been extended on six occasions, each time for a year. While the principal amount of the treasury bills was paid by the Maldives government, the interest payment on the treasury bills worth $150 million over the past five years was borne by the Indian government. "The total amount paid by India in interest settlement was close to $45 million." Noting that India has a longstanding development partnership with the Maldives, Jaiswal said New Delhi also extended a currency swap facility of Rs.30 billion to the Maldives to support the country's financial system. "In addition, the SBI has also subscribed to treasury bonds worth $350 million, which are valid till 2029 and 2030," Jaiswal said. Apart from financial cooperation, India supplies essential commodities to the Maldives as part of a development cooperation partnership, he said. The repayment of the loan will result in the foreign exchange reserves of the Maldives dipping below the $600-million....