Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission (MMBC) has instructed the Ministry of Youth to suspend funding to one media outlet and proceed with disbursing state assistance to 40 others.

In a statement issued, the Commission said 57 media outlets had created profiles on the funding portal, of which 41 met the eligibility requirements.

However, the Commission identified that two of the eligible outlets, reportedly MV Plus and Corporate Maldives Magazine are operated by the same company. Following discussions with the company, the MMBC requested the Youth Ministry to suspend payments to these two outlets until the matter is resolved.

MV Plus was allocated MVR 684,000, while Corporate Maldives Magazine was allocated MVR 690,000.

With funding for one outlet effectively removed from the list, the remaining 39 media outlets will receive funding through the Ministry of Youth and the Ministry of Finance. As a result, a total of 40 media outlets will now benefit from state financial assistance.

The Commission said the scores awarded to media outlets that applied for funding will be made publicly available on the portal.

According to the MMBC, funding assessments were based on several criteria, including the length of time the media outlet has been in operation, number of employees, growth plans, type of content produced, educational background and experience of staff, and administrative arrangements.

The state budget for this year allocates MVR 28 million for media assistance, accounting for 0.1 percent of the government’s estimated revenue.