Ministry of Economic Development has approved income support allowance for 11,000 applications during the first phase of the income support scheme.
The government introduced a monthly income support allowance of USD 323 as compensation to cover the essential expenses of individuals whose employment has been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the first phase of the scheme, income support allowance was provided for the months of April, May and June.
Speaking to PSM News, Income Support Project Director Shuhad Ibrahim revealed the economic ministry received 17,000 applications for income support allowance, of which 11,000 applications have been approved. However, he noted this does not represent the total number of individuals seeking the allowance, as individuals may have applied separately for each month.
The project director further stated a total of USD 2.97 million has been approved as income support allowance for the months of April, May and June. He added the allowance has been disbursed to over 90% of the approved applications.
The income support allowance is provided for individuals who have been either dismissed or suspended from their jobs without pay, as well as employees who have been sent on no-pay leaves and employees whose monthly wages have been reduced below USD 323. The allowance given for individuals whose wages have been cut will be the difference between USD 323 and their current monthly wages. Independent contractors, performing artists and other freelance workers are also eligible for income support allowance if their sources of income have been blocked since December 1, 2019.
The eligibility criteria for the income support allowance include being a Maldivian citizen living in the Maldives who had been employed by December 1, 2019. They must also be between 18 years and 65 years of age. Furthermore, the conditions for receiving the allowance includes agreeing to participate in a skills development programme allocated by the government and to accept employment arranged through the Job Centre of the government.
The economic ministry has opened application for the second phase of the income support scheme, covering the months of July, August and September. Applications must be submitted online through the Job Centre portal, after creating an eFaas account. Instructions for the online application process has been made available on the Job Centre website.