The Ministry of Cities, Local Government and Public Works has announced that over 12,000 cases of canned tuna have been distributed so far to households across the Greater Malé Region as part of the Government’s Roadha Hadhiyaa Programme.

Distribution commenced at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, with the Ministry, together with several State-owned companies as well as the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and the Maldives Police Service, releasing a total of 12,274 cases so far from designated centres across Malé City, Vilimalé and Hulhumalé.

Ministry figures show that the largest number of cases, 783 cases, were issued from distribution points set up at National Stadium, where four centres are currently operating. Tuna cans are being provided on the basis of domestic electricity meters, with each registered meter treated as a household.

There are 65,230 registered domestic meters in the Greater Malé Region. As of the latest update, approximately 18.8 per cent of households in the area have received a case of fish cans.

To manage distribution, households are required to collect tokens through a dedicated online portal, with 300 tokens being issued each night. In the Greater Malé Region, distribution centres are located at the MIFCO Headquarters, Social Centre, MTCC saw miill, National Stadium and Henveiru stadium.

In Hulhumalé Phase I, cases are being issued from Umar Zahir Building, Polco Tower and Mohamed Qasim Pre-School, while in Hulhumalé Phase II, distribution points include Kamil Didi Pre-School, Hiyaa Tower 10 and MPL Tower P. Additional distribution is also taking place from the WAMCO site in Vilimalé.

Under the programme, a total of 118,673 households nationwide are to receive a case of tuna cans as a Ramadan gift. This includes 61,755 households in the Malé region and 56,918 households in the atolls.

The distribution is part of the Roadha Hadhiyaa Programme announced by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, who has stated that every household will receive a case of tuna cans during the holy month. The Government has provided similar Ramadan gifts in previous years, including the distribution of tuna cans last year.