The State Trading Organisation (STO) and the Malé City Council have commenced the distribution of 10 kilograms of basmati rice and 10 kilograms of flour, donated to each household by the government coinciding with the fasting month of Ramadan. Distribution in the Malé area will go forward over 9 and 16 March between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. during normal weekdays and between 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 9 p.m to 11:30 p.m. during Ramadan.

All distribution efforts, in Malé and throughout the atolls, will break for the first day of Ramadan and on Friday.

STO CEO and Managing Director Shimad Ibrahim, along with officials from the Malé City Council and concerned government agencies, oversees the distribution of the government-donated Ramadan staples. | Photo: STO

STO is working with government ministries, councils and other associations, including assistance of volunteers, to complete the distribution of the staples by 16 March.

The donated staples will be issued exclusively to Maldivian citizens based on their electricity meter numbers and those taking receipt of the rations will have their National Identity Card (ID) number cross-referenced to the meter numbers, STO had said on Thursday.

STO and the Malé City Council are coordinating the distribution of the donated staples in administrative Malé via seven hubs set up across the city.

Administrative staff work at a distribution hub in Malé City. | Photo: STO

Distribution hubs on the island of Malé will include; the National Football Stadium, Malé City Council’s General Services Division, and the Social Centre.

On the island of Villimalé, distributions will go ahead at the Masjid-Al-Birri hall.

The Umar Zahir Building will be the distribution hub at Hulhumalé Phase I and distributions at Hulhumalé Phase II will be carried out from the Youth Centre at Hiyaa Flats, Tower number 10.

Workers arrange flour and rice bags at a distribution hub in Malé City. | Photo: STO

The majority state-owned enterprise (SOE) trading in petroleum, cooking gas, construction materials, medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, home appliances, electronics, supermarket products, and insurance; STO began loading and shipping efforts of donations bound to the atolls on 6 March with distributions to households throughout the atolls set to be managed by the island councils.

President Muizzu initially announced the decision the administration’s Ramadan donation while speaking with reporters at the Velana International Airport on 13 January, upon concluding his visit to China, along with plans to secure additional sources of supply with a view to increase the Maldives’ food security and ending reliance on any one country.