Parliament yesterday passed to give MVR 3,000 as Ramadan allowance for Civil servants.
While the standardized Ramadan allowance had been made mandatory only for Civil servants. Under this amendment, private businesses are exempt from the standardized allowance.
The amendment was proposed by ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) MP for Dhuvaafaru Constituency Mohamed Ali. His proposal stated that all Muslim employees would be eligible to receive a standardized allowance of MVR 3,000 every Ramadan. The amendment was passed with some amendments brought to the proposal at the Committee stage and an additional amendment proposed by Gemanafushi Constituency MP Jameel Usman.
The act passed by the Parliament stated that every Muslim employee was eligible to receive MVR 3,000 as Ramadan allowance. The act states that Ramadan allowance for expatriate employees was at the discretion of the employers. The act adds that all Private sector employees would be eligible for MVR 3,000 as the Ramadan allowance effective one year from the day the act comes into effect.
Ramadan allowance for employees in the private sector still remains at the previously stated one third of the basic salary. As such, if one third of the salary is lower than MVR 2,000, then the employer should give MVR 2,000 as the allowance. If the one third of the salary amounts to over MVR 10,000, then the employer should give MVR 10,000 as the allowance.
PPM had proposed the standardized allowance citing that a standardized allowance was only just and that private employees should also be included in the act.
However, the act was passed excluding private employees stating that private companies were not prepared for such a change. The act was passed with the full vote of the 60 MPs present in the session.
Parliament passes standardized Ramadan allowance only for Civil servants
