More than 1,800 Emiratis were granted housing loans worth a total of Dh3.1 billion by the Abu Dhabi government on Saturday.
The second housing package of 2023, which coincides with Eid Al Adha celebrations, gives loans to 1,807 citizens.
Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, ordered the payment of the loans under the directives of President Sheikh Mohamed.
The housing package forms part of the UAE's leadership's commitment to improve living standards for citizens and the development of emirate, Abu Dhabi Media office said.
"The directives of the wise leadership to disburse a second package of housing benefits during the year 2023 reflects its constant interest in providing all means of a decent life for citizens, and enhancing living standards and wellbeing for all members of society in the emirate of Abu Dhabi," said Hamad Hareb Al Muhairi, director general of the Abu Dhabi Housing Authority.
He added that the Al-Falah and Sweihan residential projects have been completed and now provide 1,000 more homes for citizens.
With the latest package, the total value of housing benefits donated to citizens during this year now totals about Dh6 billion, benefiting 3,607 Emiratis.
The housing package comes a day after UAE leaders pardoned more than 2,600 prisoners ahead of the Eid Al Adha holiday.
On Wednesday, Sheikh Mohamed ordered the release of 988 inmates.
The decision was made in an effort to give those serving sentences an opportunity to rebuild their lives, state agency Wam reported.
The UAE leader grants such pardons each year to boost family ties and to highlight the generous spirit of the religious festival, Wam said.
Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
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TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
