President Solih Makes Important Remarks At Viavathi Raajje’ Conference

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih declared on Saturday that his administration intends to completely empower and equip local councils to effectively serve and meet the developmental demands of their residents. He made the statements as the chair of the first session of the Viavathi Raajje conference, which was held on Ukulhas Island in the Alifu Alifu Atoll.
 
Joining the President, Ibrahim Ameer, Minister of Finance; Uz Fayyaz Ismail, Minister of Economic Development; Dr Hussain Rasheed Hassan, Minister of Fisheries, Marine Resources, and Agriculture; Aminath Shauna, Minister of Environment, Climate Change, and Technology; and Dr Mustafa Lutfi, Special Advisor on Social Policy at the President's Office served as panelists at the first session.
 
The first session of the conference will focus on the administration's attempts to ensure local councils' fiscal autonomy. President Solih highlighted the further works that is needed to refine and deepen decentralized governance.

Moreover, President also noted that the administration is now granting block grants to local councils and aiding them in expanding their income to better their financial situation. He did, however, mention local councils' concerns about collecting the monies and the difficulties in utilizing the funds within their individual domains.
 
The first session also included presentations on the administration's attempts to combat drug trafficking and gang-related crimes; the isles platform, which tracks the development of PSIP projects; and the "Ibama" social welfare program. The Maldives Police Service provided information and analysis on the country's crime prevention measures. Earlier, the President established a special task force to combat drug-related offenses.
 
Furthermore, President Solih fielded questions from the audience and addressed their problems in depth. He declared the administration's plan to ensure that the rent proceeds of the "Atholhu Fihaara" shops earmarked for each atoll in Malé go to the atoll councils. In May 2019, the administration overturned a 2014 decision that prevented atoll councils from receiving funds.