Presidential address in figures
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By
Ahmed Naif
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's presidential address to the parliament on Monday was the last presidential statement of his presidency. In the statement, he described what he had done in the last four years and the positive results of it.
When the President delivered his speech, the top priority was on the achievements of his government in the fields of education and human resource development. After that, he continued his speech by saying in numbers what the government had done in the accounts of the economy, development projects and health sectors. He explained what is being done, what has been done, and what he is doing for the next 10 years.
From the biggest investment calculations
He said his government's priority was to build an educated, productive generation. He said one of the major problems faced when he took charge of the government was the lack of adequate facilities for students in schools. However, the president announced on Monday that efforts to find solutions had yielded success. The president explained by numbers how the solution had been found:
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Construction of 1,578 classrooms across the country underway
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As many as 509 education-related projects are under way
He said the biggest investment made by his government in the education sector was to make free degrees available. He listed the success numbers of the free degree programme as follows:
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As many as 16,315 students participated in the free degree programme
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Over 6,500 students completed free degrees
He also said that his government has increased the loans given to students to study abroad. He said changes have been made to make these loans soft loans so that students do not get burdened. In this regard, the President said:
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Student loans disbursed to 1,986 students
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Have reduced the administrative fee of the loan from 5% to 1%
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Loan repayment extended by 20 years
In addition, the president's calculations of the achievements of the government in the field of human resource development are as follows:
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Over 6,000 skilled workers underway to eneter the the job market
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Construction of three Tivet centres underway
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Construction of three junior colleges underway
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Construction of one polytechnic centre underway
Benefits of minimum wages
He said the minimum wage was a big change brought about by the present government for the people. Highlighting the benefits of the changes he said:
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There has been a positive change in the incomes of over 33,500 workers
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It was mandatory for resort employees to be distributed 10% of service charge equally
"The change in the income of the employees has improved the living conditions of these families," he said.
Positive pay revision for government employees
The President gave good news to the health sector workers and government employees as a whole. In this context, he said:
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Effective from May 1 : Salaries of healthcare workers to be hiked
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Starting allowances for employees who don't get 35% allowance
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On March 1 : Salary hike for university employees to be announced
Development statistics
He also gave some statistics on the government's efforts to bring development to rural areas. In this regard, he said:
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Power plants in 76 islands have been fully modernised
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313 new generators installed at power plants in 144 islands
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As part of efforts to convert solar power into energy, 39 islands in the country will be able to switch off their power plants in two years.
He said the power, ports, roads, water and sanitation and RTL run by the present government are the foundations on which the entire country's economy can be built manifold. Here's one example he gave:
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The rent of 2,000 square feet of land in B. Fulhadhoo has risen to MVR 15,000 from MVR 7,000 after the construction of water and a drainage system
Economic growth
The President has released a picture of the country's economy this year. In this context, he said:
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The country's growth rate was raised to 12.4% from 7.6% last year
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Economy to grow at 8.2% this year
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State revenue surged MVR 3.5 billion last month; this is a record
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The state's official reserves have been taken to USD 827 million
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In 2028, the country's manufacturing capacity will be lifted from MVR 81 billion to MVR 177 billion
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Govt to raise state revenue to MVR 45 billion in 2028
Aid to small businesses
He described the SME Bank, SDFC, set up by the current government, as a successful initiative of the government to promote small and medium enterprises. He also listed the figures of loans given to small and medium enterprises( SMEs):
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Total MVR 1.16 billion released to 1,100 businesses
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More than 2,000 local products marketed globally through Authentic Maldives
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Products of 182 local suppliers can be marketed
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Of these, 57% are women's businesses
Target of 1.8 million tourists this year
The President described how tourism, the country's largest industry, will grow this year. In this context, he said:
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Target to attract 1.8 million tourists this year
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A total of 1,72,536 tourists arrived in the Maldives upto last month
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This is an increase of 31%
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So far, 16,758 beds have been added in the current session
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Maldives to receive 3.5 million tourists annually by 2028
Fishing and farming
He said the country's economy could not die due to fishing during the Covid pandemic. In his speech, the President gave statistics on fisheries. He said last year the highest amount of money was given to fishermen. It is:
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MVR 1 billion was paid for the fish purchased from fishermen last year
On agriculture, he said:
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More than 800 farmers from 46 islands have joined AgroNet's network
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As many as 485 farmers are engaged in contract farming
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534 farmers have been provided with agricultural inputs
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Aim to buy produce of 750 farmers by the end of this year
Hope on flats and plots
On the issue of flats and plots that are of the greatest interest to the public, he said:
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Received 20,697 applications for flats and 15,164 applications for land
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Will hand over the letter to the beneficiaries by June
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556 housing units in atolls to be completed by May end
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Another 2,200 units are under construction in atolls
Change in the health sector
Speaking about the improvements being made in the health sector by raising the quality of hospitals in the atolls, the President highlighted a number of issues. Speaking on the occasion, the President highlighted the huge investments made in the health sector. According to the President:
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H.Dh. Kulhudhuffushi Hospital adds 144 staff
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Kulhudhuffushi Hospital reduces the number of people referred to Male for treatment by 24%.
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30-bed hospitals to be set up in 12 islands
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50-bed hospitals to be set up in six islands
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Over 60,000 patients have been discharged from mental health care centres set up by the present government
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Waitlist reduced from above 3,000 for psychiatric treatment to 411
Social security
He said a lot of work has been done in the field of social security as well. In this context, he said:
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32 persons completed detox and rehabilitation programme for prisoners
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The programme has been implemented in four areas of the Maldives
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Caretakers training programme conducted in 62 islands and two cities in seven atolls
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A total of 430 persons have been trained in the programme
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Seven safe havens have been set up in atolls to strengthen the care of children watched by the state.
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156 staff added to family and children service centres in 19 atolls
Sports success list is long
The President's statement announced a long list of major achievements of the current government in the field of sports. He said:
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We have built 39 new football grounds
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More than 50 outdoor gyms have been set up and completed
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33 gold, 18 silver and 88 bronze medals in international competitions
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Maldives hosts nine international tournaments
Environmental protection
While there has been criticism that the current administration too does not give priority to protecting the environment, the president's presidential address highlights what the government has done to protect the environment. He said:
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By the end of this year, 130 parts of the country will be protected
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Of these, 82 will be protected in these five years
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Have installed a 42.6 MW solar PV system that produces solar power and save the atmosphere from 50,000 tonnes of toxicity
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Around MVR 320 million to be saved annually from fuel expenditure
Winning in equality
Highlighting the success of his government's policy to bridge the huge gap between men and women, he said:
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33% of cabinet and local bodies are women
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50% of our diplomatic missions are women employees
Progress made by the armed forces and the police
He said that the armed forces and police service also play an important role in the service provided to the people by the present government. He said efforts to strengthen the two institutions have achieved unprecedented progress. Thus, he pointed out:
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Last year, 18 new police stations opened
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Neighbourhood policing introduced in more than 100 islands
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In the last four years, the Army has carried out 25,610 several operations
Foreign relations to new heights
"Our foreign service or foreign sector has become the strongest and relations with the other countries have improved in the last four years," he said. In other words, he listed the statistics of development in the foreign sector. It is:
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Diplomatic missions established in 21 locations across the world to provide consular services to Maldivians
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Maldivians can now travel to 89 countries without a visa
