About 24,000 Maldivians Eligible for Hajj Under Pension Scheme: Pension Office

The Maldives Pension Office has announced that approximately 24,000 individuals who meet the conditions are eligible to perform obligatory Hajj using funds from the pension scheme. The revelation was made during the state media program "Raajje Maadhu" by Chief Communications Officer Shamsaan Shakir. The government recently amended the Pension Act to allow retirement savings to be used for obligatory Hajj even after the age of 65, with the change taking effect last Thursday. Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Mohamed Shahim Ali Saeed had previously announced that 324 people over 70 who have contributed for three years would be sent for Hajj next year. Since 2019, 369 people have performed Hajj using their retirement savings. Hajj can be funded from the pension if the account reaches 336,000 Rufiyaa. Abdullah Muaz, Head of Marketing and PR at Hajj Corporation, explained that if the amount is not met, individuals can enter the quota by personally paying 75 percent of the total Hajj cost, which is 69,965 Rufiyaa. After retaining 20 percent of the spent money in the pension fund, the remaining amount remains available to the individual. Muaz noted that allowing Hajj from the pension scheme at age 65 is a measure to reduce the elderly population in the Hajj quota. Currently, registrations are being accepted for Hajj to be performed in the year 2043. Saudi Arabia provides the Maldives with an annual Hajj quota of 1,000 people. Under this quota, 850 are sent through the regular process, 100 as assistants including for disabled persons and cooks, and 50 poor individuals from the poverty list at government expense—a practice initiated by the current government. Past efforts by various governments to increase the quota have not yielded significant progress.