President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has revealed that the administration will increase disability allowance in June. He made the announcement while giving his Presidential Address at the Parliament of the Maldives.
In his address, President Solih highlighted that the National Disability Registry (NDR) has been formulated as part of the efforts to increase the allowance. He also said a special centre will soon be established in Hulhumale’ to provide services to persons with disabilities once they reach the age of 18.
Additionally, President Solih said that children under state care have been transferred to seven newly established Amaan Veshi centres, which have a community-based model to give children structure and allow them to grow up with the advantages of a familial environment. He also said that 156 employees have been hired for family and children service centres in 19 atolls in the past four years.
There are more than 36,000 people with special needs in the Maldives and they are currently being provided with a monthly allowance of USD129, while over 10,000 individuals have registered under the NDR. The government has consistently maintained its expenditure on providing disability allowances and single-parent allowances at the same level since 2014 but the state budget for 2023 has increased the expenditure by 6%. The finance ministry stated that the allowances will be provided to different individuals based on their level of need for assistance. The state budget has allocated USD254 million for social welfare and USD22 million for providing assistance to people with disabilities.