Ministry of Islamic Affairs has announced plans to open an online portal to make it easier for citizens to receive Zakat services.
The Islamic ministry is currently seeking a contractor to develop the online portal to improve Zakat services and make them easily accessible to the public. The ministry stated the portal will also allow the government to efficiently disburse Zakat al-Fitr and Zakat al-Maal using a registry for the needy. The portal is also expected to improve the management of Zakat services by eliminating the need for processing and storing physical documents.
The Islamic ministry stated it is always working to improve its management and its services and provide assistance to citizens more efficiently.
Zakat is an annual payment under Islamic law on certain kinds of property and is used for charitable and religious purposes. Previously, citizens are required to make Zakat payments at the Islamic ministry or its island offices or local council administrations.
However, the government made changes to its services following the COVID-19 pandemic by allowing citizens to make Zakat al-Fitr payments to the Maldives Islamic Bank (MIB), Bank of Maldives (BML), as well as telecommunications companies; Ooredoo and Dhiraagu. As part of the changes, many citizens eligible for Zakat were provided their funds through their bank accounts for the past two years.