Author: Mohamed Reehaan
Tourist arrivals from both India and Russia have exceeded 100,000 from each market, as of 13th June 2023. According to the Ministry of Tourism in their latest statistics, the annual tourist arrival total as of the review date reached 857,444 which is a 14.2% increment compared to the same period last year. In 2022, the total tourist arrivals for the same period stood at 751,029. Top 10 Markets (13th June) India: 101,348 Russia: 100,593 UK: 76,148 Germany: 63,021 Italy: 62,078 China: 51,846 USA: 35,301 France: 29,748 Switzerland: 19,468 South Korea: 16,179 While tourist arrivals in annual terms observed a modest…
The Maldives government has increased disability allowances to MVR6,000. Prior to this move, the government was providing MVR 2,000 as financial assistance for individuals with special needs. According to the Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services, different categories have been created to determine the increase allowance based on specific needs. This is the first revision of the disability allowance since its introduction 12 years back. At a press conference held at the President’s Office, the National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) said that President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has made the decision to provide an additional MVR1,000 on top of the…
The cumulative total of state expenditures reached MVR18.9 billion as of 01st June 2023, reports the Ministry of Finance. On the other hand, revenues inclusive of grants in annual terms hit MVR 14.1 billion by the same date. So far, 69% of the budget was spent on recurrent needs and 31% on capital needs. From the revenue composition, 76% was earned from tax sources and 24% from non-tax sources. The overall balance for the period is a deficit of MVR4.9 billion. The total tax revenues by the review date stood at MVR10.7 billion, and non-tax revenues at MVR3.2 billion. In…
The Ministry of Economic Development announced that the contractor financing the reclamation of Giraavaru lagoon will be granted Noonu atoll’s Dhigufalhu lagoon and Dhekenanfaru; an uninhabited island in the same atoll, on a 99-year lease as repayment. Under the large-scale reclamation efforts, 120 hectares of land will be reclaimed from Giraavaru lagoon. The ministry also said that the project will be completed during July 2023. In response to an RTI by local online news ‘Mihaaru’, the ministry said that the reclamation project of Giraavaru was to allocated a minimum of 2,000 plots of land. The reclamation project was contracted to…
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has reopened the opportunity for low-income citizens to register for financial support. The Ministry on Sunday, 11th June, said that individuals who wished to register in the low-income or poor category can apply for it from Sunday until 22nd June. Individuals who wish to register can submit forms between 09:00hrs and 12:00hrs on weekdays. The opportunity is currently opened for citizens residing only in Male’ City, Vilimale’, and Hulhumale’. Additionally, the ministry said that those who received Zakat in 2023 and have not experienced any changes to their income are not required to re-register. However,…
The Maldives and the government of Seychelles have signed agreements to initiate aviation cooperation and waive on-arrival visas. The two countries signed four key agreements on Monday, June 12, amid the ongoing official visit by Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan. Announcing the signing of the agreements, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid said that under the newly signed Air Services Agreement, direct air transportation will be launched between the two countries. “The Air Services Agreement signed between the Maldives and Seychelles today, will allow direct flights between the Maldives and Seychelles, improve connectivity and increase people-to-people ties and boost tourist…
The Ministry of Finance has reported that the highest expenditure of the state, recorded for 2023 was allocated to road construction. According to the ministry, the government allocated MVR 578 million for road construction and redevelopment initiatives. The statistics released by the ministry confirmed that MVR 4.6 billion has been already spent on the Public Sector Investment Program (PSIP). The allocated budget for PSIP this year is MVR 8.5 billion, and as of now, 54% of the PSIP budget has already been utilized. PSIP Breakdown Water and Sanitation Projects: MVR 553 million Land Reclamation: MVR 540 million Regional Ports Development:…
Medical interns at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) have refused to sign the two-year bond contract due to lack of an official Civil Service designation for them. Earlier in April 2023, the Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih announced an allowance for medical and dental interns to “endorse the development of Maldivian professionals in the health sector”. While the government ordered the allowance to be made effective from May 2023 onwards, IGMH have yet to provide the said allowances for the interns. The hospital meanwhile, made an attempt to sign contracts with the interns two weeks back. According to the…
London-based Virgin Atlantic has announced its plans to commence three weekly seasonal flights to the Maldives, kicking off from 22nd October 2023. The flights will operate from London Heathrow to Velana International Airport (VIA) on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays every week. Return flights from Maldives to London is scheduled to start on 25th October with departures scheduled on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The flight duration is expected to range between 10 to 11 hours.
State Trading Organization (STO) has announced reduction of fuel prices once more. The price adjustments will be implemented by its subsidiary Fuel Supplies Maldives (FSM). The price reduction will be reflected on both petrol and diesel prices. Petrol prices have gone down to MVR 0.41 per liter while diesel has reduced to MVR 0.63 per liter. Before the latest price revision, petrol was sold at MVR 15.14 while diesel was sold at MVR 15.70. With the current reduction, petrol will now be sold at MVR 14.73 per liter and diesel at MVR 15.07 per liter.