International desk: The South Asian island nation of Maldives is in financial crisis due to the collapse of tourism, the main economic sector. The crisis is now so severe that the Maldives is now being forced to lay off cabinet members and politically motivated directors in various agencies to save money. News from AFP

"It is expected that by reducing the number of cabinet members and those appointed at the discretion of the government, the financial management of public funds will be more perfect," a statement from the country's President Mohammad Muijzu's office said on Tuesday.

The statement so far has laid off 7 state ministers, 43 deputy ministers and 178 high-ranking government officials appointed on political considerations. However, it is not clear what the job of such a large cabinet was in the Maldives, which is only 300 square kilometers in size and has a population of a little over 5 lakh.

The statement also did not mention whether more minister-officials would be relieved in the near future. However, according to sources, the country's government expects to save about 370,000 dollars per month through this mass retrenchment.

Incidentally, the main economic sector of the Indian Ocean island nation of Maldives is tourism. Every year, 40 percent of the tourists from different countries of the world were Indians.

But last year due to conflict and tension with India , the arrival of Indian tourists in the country decreased, which directly affected the country's economy. As a result, the country's income is greatly reduced.

President Muizzou continues to strive to restore the tourism sector and increase national income. Analysts say the layoffs are part of that effort.

Those engaged in lobbying in the US on behalf of the Modi government