The Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Resources Ahmed Shiyam on Tuesday has claimed that the current government has paid over MVR 1 billion owed to local fishers.
At the press conference the ministry held to provide the latest information about its ongoing efforts, the minister said that as of October 27, 2024 the state has successfully paid all outstanding total to the local fishers earlier, and thereby, has cleared the backlog.
From the time this administration took charge on November 17, 2023 to October 27, 2024, the government has disbursed a total of MVR 1.04 billion.
The current administration had inherited a significant backlog of outstanding payments to local fishers at the time it took helm of governance.
Speaking at the press briefing, Minister Shiyam stressed that clearing the backlog of outstanding payments owed to local fishers was among the top priorities for President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu since taking charge.
While there were several peaceful demonstrations and some protests led by various fisheries associations and unions regarding delays in repaying the outstanding payments, they were quelled after the state promised to clear the outstanding debt owed to fishers.