Political appointees in Sports Ministry near 300

Sun has learned that almost 300 political appointees have been appointed to the Ministry of Sports, Fitness and Recreation.

Information obtained by Sun places the number of political appointees in Sports Ministry at 291. They are:

Two individuals in ministerial level, accounting for Minister of Sports and Recreation and the Commissioner of Sports

• Three state ministers
• 18 deputy ministers
• 114 senior political directors
• 78 political directors
• 20 assistant political directors
• 56 youth associates

Despite the numerous positions established, the specific job descriptions and distribution of responsibilities among these officials remain unclear. Furthermore, the exact nature of the work they perform is not transparently defined.

For the current fiscal year, the Sports Ministry has been allocated a budget of MVR 623 million. As of March 26, a total of MVR 80 million has already been utilized from this allocation.

As this administration reaches the mid-point of its two-and-a-half-year term, government officials maintain that there are only approximately 700 political appointees. However, opposition parties have challenged these figures, alleging that the actual number of political appointees likely exceeds one thousand.