President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has said that Maldives was one of the eight countries to have completed 100 percent of the work related to Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
The Maldives government has been working with Saudi government since last year to ease Hajj pilgrimage work for Maldivians.
During the Presidential Address in the Parliament’s opening session, the President stated Maldives was just one of the eight countries to have completed 100 percent of the arrangements related to the pilgrimage. These include accommodation in both holy cities of Makkah and Medinah, as well as other arrangements pertaining to the pilgrimage, he emphasised.
The President highlighted that previously Maldivians have struggled during the trip due to insufficient arrangements. Shedding light on the arrangements made last year for Maldivian Hajj pilgrims, The President announced that Maldives was the eighth country to become a member of the Saudi Makkah Route initiative last year. Because of this arrangement, Maldivian pilgrims will be able to experience new levels of comfort and ease throughout their it, he noted.
“The C category Minah stay that Maldivians are tradionally situated in, has been upgraded to B category, and services expanded. For the first time ever, The trael from Makkah to Medinah are being conducted in air-conditioned high-speed railways for Maldivians, reducing the travel time from 7 hours to 2 Hours”, The president said.
The President went on to note that last year, an agreement was also finalised with a Hospital in Saudi Arabia to ensure free healthcare and ensure access to health services to Maldivian pilgrims. All these amenities are now included free of charge, he added.
During his speech, the President shared his heartfelt thanks to the King of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.
The President also highlighted the government’s efforts to strengthen the Maldives’ zakat system. In this regard, the President noted the first Zakat Act enacted by the administration, with the aim of strengthening work related to the collections and disbursement of zakat.
The President also revealed that zakat contributions have been increasing because of the government’s effort to strengthen the system. As such, last year the state collected USD 6.92 million in zakat collections, and revealed that last year had the highest contributions for zakat compared to last five years.