The Government of the Maldives has revealed it will provide financial assistance for poor households to pay their water and electricity bills starting next year.
The government is providing assistance to the over 8,000 individuals registered as poor in the country. As such, the government has included financial assisting people in poverty to pay their water and electricity bills as part of its strategic action plan. The proposed state budget for 2022 has allocated USD 130,000 to be provided in subsidies for poor households to pay their water and electricity bills.
Furthermore, the government is continuing to expand its services and provide more educational opportunities as well as healthcare, medicine, and other basic services to all citizens. The government also plans to spend USD 62 million to begin the remaining water supply and sewerage projects to provide basic services in all inhabited islands next year. In this regard, the government allocated USD 8.5 million to launch water supply projects and USD 5 million to complete ongoing projects.
Additionally, the government plans to resume work to complete the island water and sewerage projects using funds from the domestic budget and the line of credit from the EXIM Bank of India. The government also plans to complete the provision of water supply sanitation and waste management projects in 34 islands using a loan from the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID).