Parliament Extends Budget Debate Until 10:00pm Amid Finance Minister’s Absence

The Parliament convened today to deliberate on the proposed state budget for the upcoming year, extending the session until 10:00pm tonight to ensure the discussion. 

The MVR 49.5 billion budget, presented by the government on October 30th, has been a focal point of parliamentary proceedings.

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Speaker Mohamed Aslam opened the session by announcing Finance Minister Dr. Mohamed Shafeeg’s inability to attend on the day. 

However, it was noted that the minister would participate in the following day’s session. Consequently, the Parliament opted to continue the budget debate over both days.

A decisive vote of 34 MPs in favor paved the way for the extension of today’s session, aiming to expedite the thorough examination of the proposed budget.

The Finance Ministry had submitted a MVR 49.5 billion budget for the fiscal year 2024, projecting a total state revenue of MVR 33.5 billion. Of this, MVR 25.6 billion is anticipated from taxes, with the remaining MVR 6.6 billion originating from other sources.