The Parliament of the Maldives has approved the USD 2.39 billion state budget for 2022.
The budget was passed by the parliament on November 24, with votes from 64 parliamentarians. 8 parliamentarians from the opposition parties voted against the proposed budget.
The state budget was passed with the USD 4.72 million added to the budget during the review by the budget committee. The budget increment is due to the increase in funds for Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) projects in some islands and the budget of some institutions. A total of USD 3.71 million has been added to PSIP projects in 82 islands. Meanwhile, the committee also increased the budget of the Parliament and the finance ministry by USD 1.06 million.
During the presentation of the budget to the parliament, Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer said the 2022 state budget has been formulated with the purpose of including crucial government projects and making public services more efficient. He said the proposed budget also prioritises fulfilling government pledges and the expectations of the people while also overcoming the economic crisis from the COVID-19 pandemic.