Assembly approves PAHA’s budget for fin yr 2017/2018
Panel to address all uncovered inadequacies
By Abubakar A. Ibrahim
Arab Times Staff
KUWAIT CITY, June 5: The National Assembly, in its special session Monday, voted on the final accounts for fiscal 2015/2016 and budgets for fiscal 2017/2018 of the Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW), Public Authority for Handicapped Affairs (PAHA), Public Authority for Minors Affairs (PAMA), National Assembly, Kuwait Fire Service Directorate (KFSD), Public Authority for Printing and Publication of Holy Quran and Sunnah and Sciences, Roads and Transport Authority, Youth Affairs Authority, Kuwait University, and Public Authority for Communications and Information Technology.
The Assembly approved PAHA’s budget for financial year 2017/2018 but rejected its 2015/2016 final account, while it approved the final accounts and budgets of PAMA, PAHW, National Assembly, KFSD, Public Authority for Printing and Publication of Holy Quran and Sunnah and Sciences, Roads and Transport Authority, Youth Affairs Authority, Kuwait University, and the Public Authority for Communications and Information Technology.
A total of 44 out of 48 MPs voted in favor of approving the budget of the Public Authority for Communications and Information Technology while MPs voted for approval of its final account. The authority’s expenditures for 2017/2018 reached KD 23 million and its revenues totaled KD 68 million.
On the other hand, State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammed Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah said during the regular meeting of the Cabinet Monday it is not true that the communications authority has been tasked to implement the fiber optics project. He added the parliamentary committee in charge of studying government budgets will address all uncovered inadequacies. National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim then thanked everyone and adjourned the session until Tuesday which will be a regular session.
Chairman of the Interior and Defense Committee in the National Assembly MP Askar Al-Enezi disclosed that he and some other lawmakers will submit a request to discuss, as a matter of urgency, the draft law on granting citizenship to 4,000 persons this year in a bid to push for its approval before the current legislative round ends, reports Al-Jarida daily.
In a press statement, Al-Enezi affirmed the parliamentary majority supports the draft law, hoping the government will not obstruct efforts to pass the draft law especially since the last naturalization list was released about 10 years ago. He added approval of this draft law will end the injustice suffered by Bedouns who were deprived of citizenship despite their sacrifice for the country.
The National Assembly did not adopt the Eid Al-Fitr holidays proposal that the Civil Service Commission (CSC) submitted to the Cabinet , reports Al-Anba daily. According to the proposal, if the first day of Eid falls on Sunday, June 25, Wednesday and Thursday (June 28-29) will be official working days and the holidays will be five days starting from June 23 while work will resume on June 28. If the first day of Eid falls on Monday, June 26, Thursday (June 29) will be a holiday as it is sandwiched between two holidays – Eid and weekend holidays so work will resume on July 2 and the holidays will be nine days.