Budget Committee decides to propose population consolidation

The Budget Committee of the People’s Majlis has approved a proposal to submit a plan of population consolidation to the Majlis next year.

The proposal was made to the Budget Committee by Riyaaz Rasheed, MP for Vilufushi Constituency and member of the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM), which is the majority party in the Majlis as well as the leading member of the ruling coalition, to which President Yameen Abdul Qayyoom belong.

According to the proposal passed by the Budget Committee, a plan of population consolidation should be floored at the Majlis before the introduction of the budget for the year 2016.

Introducing the budget for 2015, Abdullah Jihad, the Minister of Finance, had already highlighted the importance of “bringing population and development together” in order to cut down the expenditure of the government. He also said that the work would be challenging, though it needs to be done and the cooperation of the People’s Majlis is crucial to achieve that.

“We need to formulate a policy on consolidating the population very soon, and we need to implement it. In this, we are in dire need of the cooperation and support of this dignified Majlis”, said Jihaad at the Majlis.

The Maldivian population of about 350000 is divided into more than 190 islands, most of which have populations less than 1000, and many with less than 500. Travel costs and many other components of recurrent expenditure by the government are the direct result of such division of a small population into too many islands.