Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dr. Ahmed Zahir Ali has revealed that the date packs donated to the government of Maldives by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, will officially be handed over to the ministry by the Saudi Embassy within the week.

Speaking to RaajjeMV, Dr. Zahir revealed that they had recently received 25 tonnes of dates and 25 more tonnes will be cleared on Saturday.

He also revealed that the Saudi Embassy wishes to proceed with the official handover ceremony soon, adding that once they are officially handed over to the ministry, the process of distributing them to households, will begin.

Even though date packs are not delivered to each and every household, the ministry will be prioritizing the most vulnerable households after thorough analysis, in the process.

Meanwhile , the Islamic Ministry has also announced a financial assistance programme named “Zakat Nafaa” in collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Development. Through the programme, authorities will be assisting the vulnerable households and those who have been registered as vulnerable families and individuals in the ministry’s registry, to meet their basic needs.

The five-year programme will be carried out under a set of policies and will also see expenses from the Zakat fund for allocated individuals, in a bid to create a more fulfilled community.

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia donated 25 tonnes of dates to the Maldivian government, last year as well.