President Abdulla Yameen and First Lady Fathimath Ibrahim are distributing food to disabled people registered in the capital Malé and its suburbs Hulhumalé and Villingili.
A package of rice, dates and cans of tuna are being distributed with a message saying the gifts are from the president and the first lady.
The first lady visited homes of disabled people last week and visited chronically ill patients at the state-run Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) on Sunday.
Madam fathmath ibrahim haasa ehee ah beynunvaa faraaiythakaa miyadhu bahdhalu kurahvaifi #asurumaa pic.twitter.com/vMghBcdcuC
— asurumaa (@asurumaaa) May 27, 2015
Madam Fathmath Ibrahim IGMH ah kurevvi ziyaarathuge therein #asurumaa pic.twitter.com/SNkD5JdmwZ
— asurumaa (@asurumaaa) June 1, 2015
When asked if the couple if distributing the food on the occasion of the upcoming Islamic month of Ramadan, the first lady’s secretary Fathimath Rahma told Minivan News there was no particular occasion.
The gifts were bought on the couple’s own funds, she said.
One family reported receiving five kilos of rice, one kilo of dates and five cans of tuna, while another reported receiving 20 kilos of rice, one kilo of dates and six cans of tuna. They welcomed the gift from the president and the first lady.
An eyewitness at the IGMH said he saw the first lady handing out envelopes with money to the patients at IGMH.
“When I asked them what the envelope was, they gave it to me and I saw the envelope said it was from the couple and contained MVR1,000,” he said.
But Rahma dismissed rumours the first lady had distributed money to the sick at the IGMH.
“The first lady only visited the patients there, she did not hand them any envelopes,” she said.