The Islamic Ministry will distribute the dried dates it had received as gifts from the Saudi Arabian and United Arab Emirati governments, to every household in the country. 

The ministry said on Thursday that it would distribute one package of dates per household.

The dates will be handed over once the ministry receives an original document of the household and its residents along with the original contract bearing signatures of the landlord and tenets for families that live in rented houses. 

For households in Hulhumalé, the dates will be distributed by the Housing Development Corporation, the Housing Ministry for Villimalé, and by relevant City and Atoll councils for households in the outer lying islands. 

Those that come to collect the dates, will be available from Thursday on wards, must bring their national identity cards.

Last year, the Anti-Corruption Commission had investigation a charitable foundation operated by First Lady Fathimath Ibrahim after it acquired a portion of the gifted dates and began distributing them. The investigation had acquitted the foundation of any wrongdoing.