The Government of the Maldives has disbursed a total of USD 24.4 million as income support allowance to individuals whose sources of income were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest statistics from the Ministry of Finance shows USD 24.4 million was disbursed to 21,258 citizens. The allowance was disbursed for individuals who requested for the income support allowance in December 2020. The allowance has been previously disbursed on three rounds; the first round from April, May and June 2020; the second round from July, August and September 2020 and the last round from October, November and December 2020.
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. 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 as a result of the pandemic.