President’s Office asks release of media grants before year-end

The President’s Office has instructed the Ministry of Youth and Information to release media grant funds before the end of this month.

The Ministry of Youth and Information had earlier announced grant allocations for eligible media outlets under a scheme included in this year’s state budget. Following complaints over the allocation process, the decision was revised and responsibility for the process was transferred to a government-appointed media regulatory commission.

Since that decision, no further details had been made public. The President’s Office has now directed that the process be expedited and that funds be disbursed before the end of the year.

It is understood that the Media and Broadcasting Commission is currently drafting rules to govern the release of the funds. Once the rules are finalised, the government plans to distribute the grants in coordination with the Ministry of Youth and Information. The President’s Office last week asked the ministry to accelerate the process.

Media and Broadcasting Commission Vice-President Zam’ath Waheed told Daur that work is underway to ensure the funds are released before the end of the month.

“The Youth Ministry and we are working together on this,” Zam’ath said, without providing further details.

According to a list previously published by the Youth Ministry, the largest allocations were designated for media outlets linked to Sangu Media, which has ties to Youth Minister Mohamed Waheed. The allocations include:

This totals MVR 5.1 million.

The list also shows that The Press, owned by Youth Ministry State Minister Ali Shamman, is allocated MVR 1.3 million.

Several smaller media outlets with limited staff numbers are also listed to receive grants amounting to several million rufiyaa.

The grant scheme was announced and opened for applications during a period when journalists were campaigning against proposed legislation to establish a media control commission.