President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has stated that the government has increased spending on mosque maintenance and repairs by three folds.

Delivering the presidential address at the opening of the Parliament this morning, the President said that the government will pay special attention to the language of patriotism, adding that important efforts have been made to inculcate the values of Islam and inculcate customs and discipline in the society.

He also said that the National Assembly on Mosques has been reconstituted to expand the role of mosques in the social life of indigenous people and to create a system to assess the condition of mosques.

"We have tripled the state's expenditure on maintenance and renovation of mosques. Within a short time, we have handed over the work of six new mosques. We plan to conduct a training program for imams at PhD level. We will sponsor 1,000 pilgrims who cannot go for Hajj. In this way, 50 pilgrims will be given this opportunity this year," he said.

The President noted that the Maldives Zakat House has been established as a separate office to increase the importance of Zakat. He also said that, for the first time in the Maldives, the government will be sending Ramadan packages to every household and that the last 10 days of Ramadan will be public holidays.

The President further said that the government will also take the initiative to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr and other Islamic festivals and national festivals with religious and national spirit. He said efforts were being made to create an Islamic TV channel as part of efforts to raise religious awareness among the people and maintain Islamic values.