India, Aug. 15 -- The Asian Development Bank has approved a $50 million loan as emergency assistance to the Maldives to strengthen its energy security in view of fuel shortage amid West Asia conflicts, media reports said.

The Maldives Government has been facing challenges in managing fuel and tourism-related expenditure because of the global hike in fuel prices and lowered number of tourist arrivals due to the conflicts in West Asia, according to news portal The Edition.

Around 94 per cent of electricity generation in the Maldives relies on imported fuel, while desalination plants also depend on fuel to operate. Therefore, the country has limited alternatives if access to fuel becomes difficult, the state-run Public Service Media (PSM N...