System to grant financial aid to orphans annually

Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has announced the government's plans to introduce a system of extending financial aid to orphans every year through Zakat House.

The minister's promise has come hot in the heels of a local woman's claims of the minister stating her children were not subject to receive Zakat.

Shaheem made a social media post on Thursday, affirming plans to establish the financial aid system, under which orphan children will receive state-backed financial support until adulthood.

The minister however, did not disclose the exact figure of support the state would be extending to each child.

In response to the woman's claims, Dr. Shaheem said her statements were false and added the registry of the poor and needy are managed by the Ministry of Housing under a specific guideline for it.

"If an individual is not listed in the registry, then they can submit complaints through the proper channels, after which adequate time will be awarded to resolve the issue if a document is missing or requires other corrections," the minister said.

He also said the recent statements about him were baseless allegations with political motivations aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the President and his cabinet, and assured he had not wronged any citizen.

The minister also said the system has been rectified to ensure Zakat Fund can no longer be exploited for corruption, and confirmed the woman's allegations will be reviewed.

"If there rights of those children have been infringed, correct measures will be ordered," Shaheem added.