According to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Finance, MVR 1.25 billion has been disbursed as block grants to local councils so far this year. This represents a 16.8% increase compared to the same period last year. With a total of MVR 2.47 billion allocated for local councils in this year’s budget, this marks the largest budgetary allocation ever provided to councils in the history of the Maldives. The government has also decided to refine the grant allocation formula; moving forward, funding will be determined by considering both population size and the land area of the respective islands. This policy shift is aimed at enhancing the financial autonomy and capacity of local councils.
