Disability allowance to increase: President

Speaking at the closing ceremony of Viavathi Conference held in Laamu atoll Gan, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said the Gender Ministry is working on compiling the register of people with disabilities and the allowance for them will be increased as soon as the work is completed.

In this year's presidential statement, he announced that the state allowance for people with disabilities would be increased later this year.

“The issue of increasing allowance for people with special needs is something has been presented to me from time to time,” he said.

President Solih highlighted other issues discussed at the conference. He said efforts will be made to bring about changes in line with the suggestions presented by councils, ministries and government companies.

“I think we have achieved success during this trip to Gan,” said president Solih.

The conference had very important discussions, including gender equality and infrastructure plan, financial empowerment of councils and Women's Development Committee's (WDCs), building a sustainable society, environmental concerns and the government’s efforts to provide social security.

The President acknowledged the in depth discussions on strengthening the management of the councils' WDCs as well.

The biggest challenges facing WDCs are budget constraints, lack of proper working environment and the challenges faced when working part time. There are also complaints about the lack of Ramadan allowance and maternity leave, as well as the difficulty of allocating a budget for the committee by councils.

"I don't think the WDC has reached the point where it should be abolished and merged with the council. I think the first thing to do is to create a good working environment for the people working in the WDC," president Solih said, suggesting people in WDC to work as full-time employees.

The President believes that the problem of approving infrastructure plans or land use plans will also be resolved, supporting the amendment, as proposed by the councils at the conference, to allow the land use plan to be approved in different segments.