President proposes to create two new ministries

President Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik has proposed to create two new ministries and thereby change the structure of the Executive body of the State. The decision has already been sent to the People’s Majlis for approval.

An official from the President’s Office said today that the two ministries proposed are the Ministry of Human Rights and Gender and the Ministry of Environment and Energy.

“With the creation of these two ministries, tasks now allocated to other ministries would be detached, and handed over to the new ministries”, said the official.

Issues of gender and family are now being managed by the Ministry of Health and Family, and with the new Ministry of Human Rights and Gender, these issues would be administered by the new Ministry. The Ministry of Health and Family would then become the Ministry of Health.

The Ministry of Housing and Environment, which has hitherto being administering all matters of environment and energy would, with the change, become Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure, according to the Official.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet has also decided to hand over tasks of the Disaster Management Centre to the Maldives National Defence Force, and to hand over the tasks of Immigration Department to the Ministry of Labour.

“Those propositions have also being sent to the Majlis”, said the Official from President’s Office.

The propositions of President Waheed about the restructuring of the government have been scheduled for the second Session of the People’s Majlis due next Monday.