A pledged rise in the senior citizens allowance to MVR 7,000 will be included in the budget to be proposed in November, the President's Office has said.
President's Spokesman Miuvan Mohamed said on Sunday that the administration has decided to make the necessary legal changes and include the MVR 7,000 allowance in next year's budget.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih pledged to raise the allowance from MVR 5,000 to MVR 7,000 per month at a campaign rally in Male' last Thursday night.
The president said during a trip to Addu in June that the current MVR 5,000 a month allowance was under review and indicated a positive change.
The old age pension was introduced during the first Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) under former President Mohamed Nasheed with an allowance of MVR 2,000 per month. It was later increased to MVR 5,000 a month during former President Abdulla Yameen's government.
