The Ministerial Council for the Economy issued several decisions during its meeting on Monday, including requiring governors to contribute to the preparation of the state budget with both written proposals and numerical data, and applying the Product Protection Law to factories operating without a license from the General Directorate of Industrial Development in the Kurdistan Region.
“Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein chaired the 31st meeting of the Ministerial Council for the Economy on Monday, held at the Council’s headquarters, in the presence of the Deputy PM and Minister of Planning, the Ministers of Finance, Trade, Agriculture, Industry, Labor and Social Affairs, the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, the Deputy Chairman of the National Investment Commission, and the PM’s advisors for economic and legal affairs,” said the Media Office of the Ministerial Council for the Economy in a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency – INA.
The statement explained that “the Council invited the General Coordinator of the Supreme Council for Coordination between Provinces, and the governors of Baghdad, Basra, Kirkuk, and Wasit, to discuss the service and economic situation in their provinces. The governors presented information on their provincial plans and projects, as well as non-oil revenues collected to fund their budgets and improve services for their citizens. The Council also discussed state-owned lands, and the best ways to utilize them by establishing strategic projects or distributing them after providing infrastructure to eligible groups.”
“The Council decided that the governors should contribute to the preparation of the state budget with both written proposals and numerical data, to ensure that the budget law includes provisions that improve services and address all types of administrative bureaucracy. The council also decided to apply the Product Protection Law to factories operating without a license from the General Directorate of Industrial Development in the Kurdistan Region,” added the statement.
The statement highlighted that the Cabinet decided “to recommend to the Cabinet that it approve the recommendations of the Cabinet Order Committee regarding the study of a project to provide transportation for government employees through a contract with a specialized company in the field of passenger transport, transport operations management, and financial and administrative management.”
“This project will include providing group transportation for employees of ministries and non-ministerial government agencies, which will contribute to creating jobs for many unemployed individuals, reduce government spending in this sector, and ensure that all workers involved in this project are covered by social security and registered with the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. The recommendation also includes the possibility of providing loans to unemployed individuals to help them purchase vehicles and participate in the project,” according to the statement.
