In a significant shift to its national housing policy, the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Infrastructure has announced a new land allocation initiative—named “Goathi-Gedhoru”—that allows individuals to apply for a plot of land even if their spouse already owns housing.
The revised criteria, officially published in the Government Gazette, mark a pivotal change in the ongoing “Housing for All” programme, which initially barred applicants if their husband or wife held residential property. The new opportunity will open for applications on 8 March.
The original housing application window launched on 18 January has seen strong engagement, with 18,399 applications submitted at various stages. However, the Minister of Construction, Housing and Infrastructure, Dr Abdulla Muththalib revealed at a press conference held at the President’s Office that demand for land has been noticeably lower than for flats—a trend that prompted the introduction of this more inclusive land scheme.
As of now, 2,851 individuals are in the process of applying for land, while 2,513 have already submitted their applications. In contrast, the flat category has drawn significantly higher interest, with 8,466 applicants in the submission process and 3,396 successfully completed applications, while the Hiyaa category has seen 953 submissions.
Under the current plan, a total of 7,900 flats will be distributed, including 4,000 for residents of Male’, 1,500 for people of other islands living in the capital, and 2,400 reserved for special priority groups.
Land allocation meanwhile, will prioritise Category 1, Male’ residents and special priority applicants from the greater Male’ area and Rasmale’ while applicants of other islands living in the capital will be designated land from just Rasmale’.