The government disbursed MVR 4 billion in loans to state-owned enterprises (SOEs) by the end of last year, according to the Finance Ministry's budget report.

The amount was nearly three times the MVR 1.4 billion allocated for loans to government-owned companies in the state budget.

The government also disbursed MVR 630 million in loans to the private sector.

Overall, the budget had allocated MVR 3.2 billion for loans. However, total loan disbursements reached MVR 4.6 billion by the end of the year, largely due to increased lending to SOEs.

Capital injections into SOEs also rose sharply. Although the budget allocated MVR 366 million for capital contributions, the government ultimately injected MVR 2.2 billion into various state-owned companies.

As a result, the government spent a total of MVR 7.2 billion on SOEs through loans and capital injections last year.

There are around 30 state-owned enterprises, with only a small number operating profitably. Expenditure on these companies has continued to increase in recent years.