State budget for next year to be presented in Parliament tomorrow

The state budget for next year is scheduled to be presented at tomorrow’s Parliament sitting.

Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla made the announcement at the close of today’s sitting.

This year’s budget was approved at MVR 56.6 billion, an increase of MVR 1.6 billion compared with the previous year. With the supplementary budget passed later, total expenditure rose to MVR 55 billion.

The 2025 budget projected MVR 39.8 billion in revenue, including MVR 2.6 billion in free aid.

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has highlighted some of the key priorities expected to be reflected in next year’s budget during some meetings held with island residents.

During his tour of Shaviyani Atoll, speaking at a meeting held with the residents of Funadhoo, President Muizzu said the budget will include MVR 3 billion for new projects, with the highest priority given to the education and health sectors.

In education, the government plans to launch a major initiative to improve access for students with special needs, including the establishment of dedicated classrooms.

In the health sector, the President said new facilities will be developed to enable more surgeries and medical tests to be performed locally, reducing the need for patients to seek treatment abroad.

“We are allocating about MVR 3 billion for new projects next year. At least MVR 500 million for education and another MVR 500 million for health,” the President said.