Current development plan tops previous year: Official
KUWAIT: The report about the progress of projects listed in the annual development plan for the fiscal year 2018/2019 by the end of the first quarter prepared by the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development revealed the most important results, spending percentages and levels of completion, while concentrating on strategic projects. The plan for 2018/2019 relies on seven basic pillars. There are 32 development programs, and each program has a bundle of harmonized projects. The projects are chosen according to their ability to improve Kuwait’s international competitiveness to achieve the state’s vision for Kuwait to become a financial and commercial center that attracts investments.
Through the pillar of effective government management, there are 16 projects with investments totaling KD 56 million being executed by 14 bodies with annual allocations of KD 9.6 million, of which 1.3 percent was spent in the first quarter of this year. They are related to e-government projects, development of the structural plan and institutional governance. Among the projects of this pillar that are in the implementation stage are the Public Anti-Corruption Authority, Capital Markets Authority, Public Authority for Handicapped Affairs, Kuwait Municipality, State Ministry for National Assembly Affairs, Foreign Ministry, Central Statistics Bureau, Interior Ministry, Commerce and Industry Ministry and Finance Ministry.
Besides projects related to a sustained and diversified economy, 27 projects are being handled by 13 government bodies with a total cost of KD 12.453 million and annual allocations of KD 2.578 million, of which 0.0 percent was spent in the first quarter. The projects of this pillar, which the government hasn’t started yet, are the development of Silk City, Boubyan Island, Public Authority for Food and Nutrition, the National Fund for Small and Medium Enterprise Development, Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority, technical agency for the privatization program, Kuwait Municipality, Kuwait Fire Service Directorate and the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources
Promising results
Kuwait has seen better progress in terms of national development in the first quarter of this year as opposed to the same period in the previous year, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development Dr Khaled Mehdi confirmed in a statement yesterday. The 2017-2018 term remains the best as far as domestic expenditure goes with a spending level of 86 percent, Dr Mehdi said. "The promising results recorded in Q1 of this year possibly forebode that the 2018/2019 term could eclipse previous years,” he said, citing that total government spending in Q1 hit $159.9 million ($527 billion) in an increase of 3.6 percent from last year.
Mehdi pointed out that 50 percent of development projects have gotten off the ground so far this year, while some 322 obstacles were surmounted in an auspicious start to the year. Pinpointing the oil industry as the sector with the most impressive performance, he revealed that total spending there spiked by 17.35 percent over the last month. In terms of private development expenditure during Q1, the Kuwaiti official named a biofuel project worth KD 112 million (369 million) and a KD 5.7 million ($18.8 million) olefins project as examples. Meanwhile, for the first time ever, nine development projects are currently ahead of schedule in a testament to the tangible progress Kuwait has made towards its national development goals, Mehdi explained. He also mentioned that the healthcare, agriculture and education sectors have also witnessed meteoric growth, in addition to an increase of 33.5 percent in professional development.
New system
In other news, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) is preparing to implement the new central system with regards to salaries of the public sector and some independent authorities on a new group of government bodies in the coming days. CSC’s Assistant Undersecretary for Information Technology Affairs Sabeeka Al- Wuqayan said the government bodies that will apply the new system are the Council of Ministers, Amiri Diwan, Crown Prince Diwan, State Audit Bureau, Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Ministry and the Agriculture and Fish Authority to join 10 bodies that have already begun implementing the system, bringing up the number to 16 out of 48 government bodies.
Wuqayan said the new system is related to employing and calculating the salaries of employees in the public sector, adding that the commission is keen on automating procedures related to civil service. She said the centralization of implementing this system is under the CSC, because it is the supervisory authority on applying the law’s procedures and CSC decisions, and is the most capable to interpret decisions in the presence of a central automated system.
Health centers
n the meantime, Health Minister Sheikh Dr Basel Al- Sabah said health centers in Wafra residential area were built according to the program of the Public Authority for Housing Welfare. He said the date when the ministry will receive the health center depends on the authority’s program and completing the power connection to each place. He said that it was coordinated with the Public Authority for Housing Welfare with regards to developing health services in Wafra residential area, so locations for two centers were allocated in addition to a main ambulance center. He said the government hospital that will be in Sabah Al-Ahmad City will serve residents of southern areas, including those in Wafra. He said the hospital’s design is included in the health ministry budget with coordination with the finance ministry.
Food reserves
Separately, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry prepared a plan to raise the level of strategic food reserves by 100 percent above the current stocks, so that they are enough for one full year. This will be through a strategic plan that ensures economic security and sustained development. Sources said the government’s plan includes securing the required needs of food along with guaranteeing the safety of animal wealth production and its sustainability through a government weekly program that will be launched in the coming days. The sources said the government calls for supporting the Livestock Company to take precautions against political tensions that the region is experiencing.
By A Saleh