President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has said the Hiyavehi financing scheme loans will be disbursed starting in July.
At the Independence Day ceremony last year, Muizzu assured all Maldivians that housing loans at an interest rate of five percent would be issued starting in October 2024. But no loans have been issued under the scheme.
In his address to the opening session of the People's Majlis today, Muizzu announced a new date for the issuance of loans.
"The opportunity to apply for loans through the Hiyavehi Portal has now been opened. Hopefully, loans will be issued from July this year," he said.
MPs from the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), carrying placards with various slogans, began protesting as soon as Muizzu started his second presidential address since assuming office in November 2023.
Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla called out the names of several MDP MPs and asked them to leave the chamber.
But MPs continued to protest and Abdul Raheem indicated to Muizzu to stop his address. He also announced that the session was adjourned and would resume when the MPs leave the chamber.
Security guards entered the chamber and forced some MPs to leave. Among them were MDP parliamentary group leader Ibrahim Nazil and Vaikaradhoo MP Hussain Ziyad.
The session resumed after the MPs were dragged out of the chamber.
