A digest of news and opinion from the Maldives.
Ministry of Finance has instructed state institutions to pay overtime and public holiday allowances to employees who are working amid the ongoing state of a public health emergency. A circular, issued on April 9, signed by Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer was issued to state institutions regarding the overtime allowances, off-day allowances regarding the government closure. […]
Maldives Blood Service (MBS) has started a campaign called the “COVID-19 Blood Drive – Help end the blood shortage week long”. With the declaration of a state of a public health emergency, the public has been advised to practise social distancing and to minimize going out as much as possible. This has resulted in shortages […]
Economic Minister Fayyaz Ismail has stated that the government is planning to reduce the level of imports to the country in the future. In a press conference, Minister has revealed that the government has selected 17 agricultural products to produce in the Maldives. He further added that the government has chosen 44 islands to advance […]
Economic Minister Fayyaz Ismail has revealed that 837 expatriate workers have requested repatriation. Minister Fayyaz has stated that Bangladesh Civil Aviation has temporarily banned any expatriate workers residing the Maldives to enter the country, and due to that, the repatriation has been delayed. In addition to that only 130 expatriate workers have the passport and […]
Ministry of Finance has revealed that the Green Tax revenue generated for February 2020 declined by 3.5 per cent. As per the Ministry’s Green Fund Report, Green Tax dropped in comparison with the same period in 2019. The total revenue earned for February, in Green Tax was recorded at MVR 77,023,981.14. The Ministry’s Green Fund […]
The government has brought changes to the working hours of the flu clinic, which was established in regard to the spread of COVID-19 in the Maldives. IGMH hospital has announced that the flu clinic will be open from 10 am to 6 pm. This will be effective from April 12th. IGMH has urged the public […]
Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) has announced that they will be opening their office on the 13th, 14th, and 16th of April. In a press statement released by the authority, they have stated that this is in regard to the President’s instructions to provide essential services with minimum employees necessary to carry out the essential […]
Bank of Maldives (BML) has revealed that around 12,000 loans have been applied for deferment. BML opened the opportunity to defer the repayment period to 6 months, as an initiative to help people during the economic downfall caused by COVID-19 pandemic. BML provided this opportunity to its customers on 2nd April. BML has also introduced […]
The government has introduced a stimulus package of MVR 2.5 billion to assist businesses amid the pandemic. Tourism industry experts have raised their concerns about the stimulus package. A top tourism stakeholder has stated that the working capital loans given under the stimulus package should be exclusive to small and medium enterprises, with resorts given […]