Aasandha has spent 60 percent of its total budget within the first quarter of 2023.

According to the statistics published by the Ministry of Finance, Aasandha had spent MVR 628 million by March. Aasandha was allotted a budget of MVR 1 billion for the year.

The same period last year saw an expenditure of MVR 448.7 million, marking an increase of two-fold this year. The total expenses of Aasandha for the previous year stood at MVR 1.6 billion.

In addition to this, 54 percent of the budget set for subsidies for the year had been used by March. As such, MVR 1.2 billion had been spent out of the budgeted MVR 2.3 billion. This also marks an almost two-fold increase in comparison to the previous year, where MVR 788.8 million was spent by March,

Several political figures and financial institutions had expressed concerns over the increased expenditure on Aasandha. This also includes former President Mohamed Nasheed, who criticized the government's spending on Aasandha last February.

However, the government maintained its stand, stating that they do not spend excessively on Aasandha.