Picnic site to be developed in one island per atoll included in next year's budget

Finance Minister Hassan Zareer announced today that a picnic site is to be developed in one island per atoll, with the initiative included in next year's state budget. Presenting the budget in Parliament, Zareer stated that building a healthy society among Maldivians is a priority for the government, and developing picnic islands aims to provide opportunities for families and friends to spend time together. However, the Finance Minister did not disclose the amount allocated for this purpose in next year's budget. President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu had previously announced on August 19 that a special island would be developed in each atoll for picnics, stating that research would be completed soon and the project would begin after cabinet consultations. The President also indicated that picnic islands would be developed for specific islands in addition to one per atoll. In some atolls, special islands have already been developed for citizens to use for picnics.