President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has on Tuesday amended the ‘Single Parent Allowance Programme’, raising the ceiling for allowance from MVR 3,000 to MVR 10,000.

The decision to review the programme was made on Tuesday, during a cabinet meeting.

At the meeting, the ministers deliberated on the Single Parent Allowance Programme paper submitted by the Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services, on behalf of the National Social Protection Agency (NSPA), citing concerns “over the eligibility of the programme.”

Noting that the the 2016 amendment to the programme “left many single parents barred from receiving the allowance,” the President’s Office said that the new amendment “will pave the way to breakdown any barriers keeping them from receiving the benefits.”

The president and the cabinet ministers agreed to revise the minimum unit, the terminology used to classify those below the poverty line and to raise the ceiling for Single Parent Allowance from MVR 3,000 to MVR 10,000.

The cabinet also recommended to give the Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services the authority to declare the 'Income Threshold' of single-parent households based on the individual situations.

The new amendment also includes an additional clause, which allows single parents of children with special needs to receive both the allowance for housing a child with special needs as well as the Single Parent Allowance.