During the extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers chaired by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Wednesday evening at the Seif Palace the Ministry of Finance has asked the ministries and affiliated authorities not to include funds for renting cars for employees as benefits in kind, as well as mobile phones.
Informed sources said, in exclusive statements to Al-Anbaa, that the ministry has asked the ministries, government agencies, and affiliated institutions when preparing the expenditure item, not to propose any amounts for mobile phones for senior and employees, as part of several measures taken by the ministry to reduce the expenditure item in the 2022-2023 budget.
The allocation is made in accordance with the provisions of the Ministry of Finance circulars No. 1 of 1994.
The sources indicated that there are 4 other measures to reduce the expenditure item at the level of non-Kuwaiti employees working in the government.
These procedures include not creating new jobs for non-Kuwaitis during the new fiscal year except in extreme situations, in addition to studying the possibility of doing away with jobs occupied by expatriates especially jobs that can be occupied by Kuwaitis provided that does not affect the level of performance, as well as canceling granting government housing and replacing it with housing allowance and furniture allowance for non-Kuwaiti employees.
The Ministry of Finance has directed the inclusion of financial appropriations for the disbursement of end-of-service benefits for non-Kuwaitis whose services have been terminated on the budgets of each government agency in order not to disrupt the decision to terminate the service and to proceed with its implementation.
During the meeting it was disclosed that the Council of Ministers completed the follow-up on the implementation of development projects and the means to overcome all obstacles that might encounter them.
The Council of Ministers discussed also projects related to the development of waterfronts that are under the supervision of the Kuwait Municipality, in light of the tourism and development vision contained in the development plan.
In this regard, the Cabinet reviewed the visual presentation submitted by the Director General of Kuwait Municipality Eng. Ahmed Al-Manfouhi and a number of senior officials of the Kuwait Municipality regarding the development of the structural plan for Sulaibikhat Bay.
It included an explanation of the stages and components of the 38 kilometers long project, and includes the innovation area and a sports arena. The explanation also included the project implementation mechanism and the next steps.
They also presented a visual presentation of the Jahra waterfront development project (Jahra Corniche) on an area of approximately 7.3 square kilometers, where the master plan was developed to achieve a balance between the desired development vision and the feasibility of the project to improve the site, environmental characteristics and social context to make the project a major tourist and entertainment destination.
The presentation also included an explanation for the components of the project, which includes shopping centers, recreational sites and an aquarium, in addition to sports complexes that include a football club, a hotel, and support activities.
The project also includes an eco-village that includes green activities such as the desert botanical garden.
The Council of Ministers decided to refer the waterfront development projects of the Sulaibikhat and Jahra coastal areas to the Public Services Committee, giving them the status of urgency and direct follow-up to overcome all the obstacles they encounter.
The Council also expressed its deep thanks and appreciation to the leaders of the Kuwait Municipality and the work teams in charge of developing the waterfront along the Sulaibikhat and Jahra coasts for their efforts hoping they will to continue their commendable efforts to support development projects in order to achieve Kuwait’s 2035 vision.
Then the Council of Ministers examined the recommendation of the Public Services Committee regarding the obstacles facing the National Fund for the Care and Development of Small and Medium Enterprises.