President concludes his address.
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Thursday 26 Dec 2024
LOCAL EDITION
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LOCAL EDITION
President concludes his address.
I assure the beloved Maldivian people that all members of this people-elected government will remain steadfast in delivering its pledges to the people.
President Solih
In Sha Allah, 7,000 flats of Hiya Project will be given to the deserving people within this year.
President Solih
Construction of a reliable waste management system at the national level is currently underway in 3 regions in the Maldives which would provide effective means for solid waste disposal.
President Solih
To lessen our reliance on fossil fuels in electricity production, additional projects to produce a further 51 megawatts of electricity using solar energy will be commenced this year.
President Solih
Last year was very successful in our sporting history. Maldivian athletes won a total of 46 medals, including 13 gold medals from international sporting events. We shall undertake significant infrastructural development for IOIG 2023 in Maldives.
President Solih
Kooddoo Cold Storage Capacity was upgraded from 2,000 to 6000 tons, to acquire and store all fish caught by our fishermen, and further investments have been made to upgrade Felivaru capacity to 4,000 tons this year.
President Solih
Under phase one of developing a maritime connectivity network, we are gearing to introduce new transport services between the islands in Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu and Shaviyani atolls.
President Solih
We are currently working on attaining 2.15 million tourist arrivals before the end of 2021, and expand the number of incoming tourists to 2.5 million per year.
President Solih
Income Tax Act, introduced to streamline the taxation of all incomes, will come into effect from April 2020 onward. I also hope to submit the bill establishing a minimum wage during this session of parliament.
President Solih
The most prominent path of change that the Maldives embarked on last year, was that of the re-assumption of a true decentralized system. Local councils are more empowered, and through the newly allocated budget, the stewardship of local island development projects.
President Solih
The overcrowding of our jails, together with the lack of a robust prisoner rehabilitation mechanism, presents a serious obstacle to societal peace and contentment. To solve the issue of overcrowding in prisons, the construction of a new prison will begin this year.
President Solih
To further strengthen our Social Protection Mechanisms, work on building a Home for the Elderly People will begin this year. We will also build a Remand Centre aimed at rehabilitating drug offenders during detention and to ease their re-entry into society.
President Solih
As of last year, over 6,160 individuals sought treatment at the Centre for Mental Health, which was established at IGMH last year to facilitate mental health treatment for the public.
President Solih
In an effort to expand TVET trainings country-wide, establishing high-quality TVET Centres in 3 locations throughout the country is budgeted for this year.
President Solih
In the education field, this government has provided an unprecedented amount of opportunities for prospective students in the past year. Over 5000 students have availed themselves of the Government’s free degree program.
President Solih
As the President delivers his address, opposition parliamentarians remain standing in silent protest over the imprisonment of opposition leader, former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom.
I intend to submit 56 bills to the Majlis during the first half of this year. Of these, 32 bills propose amendments to existing laws and 24 bills set to create entirely new laws.
President Solih
He expresses the intention of strengthening the government’s efforts to protect children from being victimized by sexual offenders.
He said the Child Protection Act, which had been ratified in 2019, had been drafted, passed and ratified 28 years after the legislature had remained stymied in the discussion stage.
The Child Protection Act ratified by this government will come into effect from the 20th of this month, and will strengthen the government’s efforts to safeguard our children.
President Solih
He announces that none of the Maldivian citizens, whose samples the government had sent abroad for testing for the deadly virus, had tested positive.
President says the threat of the novel coronavirus had cast a long shadow over the entire global community, and that the threat of the deadly virus remained relevant to the Maldivian community.
While recognizing the effects coronavirus will have on our tourism industry, the Government has closed off several routes of air travel. The Government will take all necessary precautionary measures to contain the spread of this virus to keep our citizens safe.
President Solih
President begins delivering his address.
Speaker, former President Mohamed Nasheed announces the agenda.
There are 80 parliamentarians in attendance, he announces.
Chief Justice Muthasim Adnan inaugurates the session with the reading of Salat Al-Fatih.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and First lady Fazna Ahmed have arrived at the Parliament.