41 Private Media Outlines Eligible for State Financial Assistance in Maldives

The Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission (MMBC) has announced that 41 out of 57 private media outlets that applied for state financial assistance have met the necessary eligibility criteria. The commission revealed that the profiling process for the financial aid concluded on Monday, with a total of MVR 27.9 million earmarked for distribution among the eligible outlets. This funding represents 0.1 percent of the state budget. The MMBC also disclosed that it accepted three out of eight complaints received during the application process. The evaluation criteria included factors such as the number of employees, proposed business plans, content type and scope, educational level and experience of staff, and administrative arrangements. Initially, the Ministry of Youth, Information, and Arts had shortlisted 18 media outlets for grants, but the list was withdrawn amid controversy over transparency and fairness. The responsibility for administering the grants was later transferred to the MMBC, which aims to disburse the funds before the end of the year. State funding for media was a key electoral pledge of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, with the government committing 0.1 percent of its annual budget revenue to support registered private media outlets.