Author: Mohamed Reehaan

Urbanco announced on Wednesday, November 1, the successful completion of the first phase of Thilafushi Phase II development project Urbanco announced the completion of reclaiming Area B which measures 39.6 hectares, and added that preparations are underway for the reclamation of Area A. The Phase II reclamation is divided into three areas; A, B, and C. The land reclamation for Area A is scheduled for completion by February 2024, which covers 71.5 hectares. The entire reclamation project covers 151 hectares, though project costs have not been disclosed by Urbanco. The area is earmarked for development as a industrial hub in…

Maldives government budgets MVR 600 million for the revised subsidy policy based on the economic conditions of individual citizens. The subsidy policy has been revised to a direct transfer system instead of allocating it for electricity, staple foods, fuel, and sewerage. The proposed budget highlights this would save MVR 2.5 billion per annum from expenditure. Government is aiming to completely stop indirect subsidies, with the only indirect subsidy being allocated for local fisheries by 2025. The Chief Budget Executive of the Ministry of Finance Ahmed Saruvash Adam said the direct transfer system will extend subsidies to 50% of Maldivian households…

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) took part in the recently ended Tourism Expo Japan 2023 alongside 10 co-exhibitors. The expo, organized by Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA), is one of the largest annual travel festivals in the world bringing global players and stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality scene. MMPRC promoted Maldives as a top tourist destination with the aim of revitalizing the number of Japanese tourists traveling to the Maldives.

Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (MNPHI) confirms it will announce the final recipients of the second phase of the Gedhoruveriya and Binveriya social housing schemes before the end of the presidential term. Over 40,000 people applied for the social housing schemes’ second phase which included 21,247 applications for Gedhoruveriya, which grants housing units in Greater Male’ region, and 19,347 applications for Binveriya; seeking land plots. However, with President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s presidency winding up on November 17, the government earlier did not provide details about the decision for the second phase recipients. The Minister of State of MNPHI…

Onion prices in the Maldives market has once again surged significantly, reaching MVR 400 per sack. In the Maldivian market, onions are currently sold at prices between MVR 390 to MVR 400 per sack, while a kilogram is sold between MVR 20 to MVR 25. Before the recent price inflation, onions were sold at MVR 12 and MVR 15 per kilogram. A local vendor said prices of onion rose due to the rise in purchase cost from foreign vendors. Maldivian vendors currently spend MVR 365 per sack to purchase from India, which is an MVR 50 increment from the previous…

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has ordered Urbanco against selling plots from Hulhumale’ during the transitional period of the Maldives government. The commission made the demand in response to concerns raised by President-elect’s Office stating that Urbanco was selling plots from the town during the government’s transition. President-elect’s Office on Sunday, October 29, said that it has learned Urbanco’s next board meeting has at least 40 items related to land transactions in Hulhumale’ on its agenda. The office demanded Urbanco not to proceed with the transactions sometime on Sunday. However, the corporation did not disclose details of these transactions. Last year the…

According to Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA), the central bank of the country, a total of 1.2 million bank cards have been issued since the initiation of card issuance by Maldivian commercial banks, with 74% of the total issued cards still remaining active. As per MMA’s payment bulletin, 48% of the debit cards issued in the Maldives are VISA cards, while 24% are Mastercard and the remaining 22% are American Express (AmEx) cards. VISA cards also make up 64% of the credit cards issued in the Maldives with 28% being AmEx cards. Mastercard constitutes 99% of the prepaid cards issued by…

Maldives government generated a revenue of MVR 1.18 billion in September 2023, reports Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA). According to MIRA, this revenue total inclusive of USD 49.62 million is a 15.8% drop compared to the same month in 2022. The authority said this drop is mainly due to the decrement in collection of Tourism Land Rent, GST, Non-resident Withholding Tax and Corporate Income Tax. Payment deadlines of GST and Green Tax were extended to the first week of October as the government declared the initial deadline as a public holiday, which led to the significant drop to the monthly…

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has participated in the ITB Asia 2023 alongside 27 industry partners. The event was held at Sands Expo & Convention Center, Singapore, from October 25 to 27. The ITB Asia expo is considered as one of the region’s leading travel B2B trade shows, designed to be the primary event for the Asia Pacific travel industry. The event features thousands of exhibitors from the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East. MMPRC marketed the Maldives by promoting the country’s tourism products (resorts, hotels, guesthouses, liveaboards) and the diversity of unique experiences…

Aasandha, the government-initiated health insurance scheme, has introduced a new verification step requiring pharmacists or pharmacies to enter an OTP sent to the customer’s phone before issuing medication for prescriptions. A number of pharmacies in Male’ region have already started using this method. Information including the phone number and national ID card of the customer is acquired before sending the OTP. The prescription is filled only after the OTP has been received and entered into the system. Aasandha Media official Ashiya Solih said this arrangement was made in response to complaints from public. She said that the public have raised…