Co-ops press to open mini-markets at gas stations

KUWAIT: Official foreign ministry statistics about Kuwait's annual contributions to the budgets of regional, Arab and international organizations showed that those contributions amount to KD 26.5 million, including KD 3.133 million for international organizations, KD 10.77 million for Arab and regional ones, KD 1.274 million for Islamic ones, KD 7, 253 million for UN peacekeeping troops, KD 3.152 million in voluntary donations and KD 500,000 for activities in the countries housing Kuwaiti embassies abroad.

Gas station shops

Union of Consumer Cooperative Societies (UCCS) Vice Chairman Khaled Al-Hudhaiban urged Oil Minister Khaled Al-Fadhel to allocate special outlets for co-ops at gas stations around Kuwait, noting that co-ops have the right to have their own mini-markets at gas stations to serve the public and provide competitive prices. Hudhaiban added that the oil ministry had been repeatedly approached in this regard with no response so far, and expressed hope that Fadhel will approve the request.

Automation

The Ministry of Social Affairs has so far achieved 85 percent of the KD 12.95 million project of automating its various sectors pending full automation by 2020 to put an end to paper use and human errors. A report issued by the ministry showed that once the project is complete, all of the ministry's 16 services will be available online. In addition, the report said the Ishbelia old age home project is still delayed after its tender was rejected by the State Audit Bureau and returned to the ministry. The report explained the KD 4 million project involves building a geriatric house with a capacity of 700 residents.

Rumors denied

Minister of Education Hamed Al-Azmi strongly denied that any of the ministry schools' teaching or administrative staff members take drugs inside schools. Responding to an inquiry by MP Mohammed Al-Dallal about a video on social media, Azmi stressed that the education ministry's social and psychological services' sector constantly coordinates with the interior ministry's narcotics department to boost drug-related awareness in various schools. Separately, undersecretary of the ministry of higher education Sabeeh Al-Mokhaizeem announced receiving applications for the 2019-2020 scholarship program, noting that the deadline for applying is June 20.

By A Saleh