Baghdad – IA
Today, Sunday, the Council of Ministers issued a number of new decisions during its early session held this afternoon.
The Prime Minister’s Media Office said in a statement received by the (INA): “Prime Minister Muhammad Shia’ al-Sudani chaired the third regular session of the Council of Ministers, during which a number of general political situations, service, economic and social files were discussed, and the progress of the Council of Ministers was followed up.” The government program, the implementation of its paragraphs and articles, and the various performance axes, as well as deliberating on the topics on the agenda and taking the necessary decisions regarding them.”
He added, “In the field of financial management, the Council of Ministers approved financing the Kurdistan region of Iraq, according to the federal general budget for the year 2024 and according to actual spending, in the amount of (618587029346) dinars, for the month of January 2024.”
He continued, “Within the framework of implementing the priorities of the government program and following up on solutions to provide housing, the Council of Ministers agreed to increase the ceiling of the lending amount to the Iraqi Housing Fund for beneficiaries of purchasing housing units from complexes that will be constructed exclusively by companies of the Ministry of Construction, Housing, Municipalities, and Public Works, to be one hundred million dinars for each.” housing unit, and increasing the duration of the loan to purchase the aforementioned housing units to (20) years, based on the provisions of the aforementioned Fund Law (32 of 2011), and that this decision shall be implemented starting from the date of its issuance.”
He continued, “In order to follow up on service projects and avoid any delay, the Council of Ministers approved the following recommendations from the Ministerial Council for Social Services:
1- Recommendation (24004 KH), which includes approving the recommendation of the Central Committee for Review and Approval of the Referral in its Resolution (95) taken at its (22nd) session held on December 4, 2023, which includes canceling the decision to withdraw the work for the second time from the contractor (Al-Mazood General Contracting Company Limited). ) The maintenance and rehabilitation project of Al-Buaji and Al-Gharan M2/Wasit Road is assigned to him, and the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Public Municipalities (the Central Committee for Review and Approval of the Referral) is authorized to do so.
2- Recommendation (24003 Kh), which includes approving the recommendation of the Central Committee for Review and Approval of the Referral in its Resolution (92) taken at its (21) session held on November 29, 2023, which includes canceling the decision to withdraw the work for the second time from the contractor (Nabih Ismail General Contracting Company) The work of the Sindhi Concrete Bridge Project is assigned to him, and the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Public Municipalities is authorized to do so (the Central Committee to review and approve the referral to do so).
3- Recommendation (24002 KH), which includes approval of ownership of the area (4500) square meters of the plot of land numbered (100/4) located in the Sikanyan area in the Kirkuk Governorate, to the Chaldean Diocese of Kirkuk and Sulaymaniyah, at a reduction of 50% of its real value and amortization of the 50%. The remainder, after its evaluation by the State Real Estate Department.”
He stated that, “Within the service aspect and following up on infrastructure projects, the Council of Ministers approved the following:
1- Increasing the reserve percentage for the component (Supplementary Works of Al-Rifai Sewage Treatment Plant) by (37.1%) after rounding to become (47.1%) instead of (10%).
2- Increase the total cost of the component referred to in the first paragraph by (16,478,563,400) dinars, just sixteen billion four hundred and seventy-eight million five hundred and sixty-three thousand and four hundred dinars, to become (66,675,525,100) dinars, sixty-six billion six hundred and seventy-five million five hundred And twenty-five thousand and one hundred dinars, instead of (50,196,961,700) dinars, only fifty billion, one hundred and ninety-six million, nine hundred and sixty-one thousand and seven hundred dinars.
3- Increasing the total cost of the Al-Rifai sewer project by (17,178,959,929) dinars, just seventeen billion one hundred and seventy-eight million nine hundred and fifty-nine thousand nine hundred and twenty-nine dinars, to become (77,621,168,929) dinars, seventy-seven billion six hundred and twenty-one million one hundred and eight Sixty thousand nine hundred and twenty-nine dinars, instead of (60,442,209,000) dinars, only sixty billion, four hundred and forty-two million two hundred and nine thousand dinars, with an increase of (28.42%) over the total adjusted cost.
4- Establishing delays and delays in unjustified procedures in project management, and the Ministry of Construction, Housing, Municipalities and Public Works bears the validity and accuracy of the information and responsibility for prices and specifications as it is the competent authority.”
He pointed out that “the Council considered a number of topics on its agenda and took the following decisions regarding them:
First: Approval of the exception of the Ministry of Industry and Minerals/General Company for Food Products, from the Council of Ministers’ Resolution (275 of 2017) regarding the sale of expired food fat and surplus quantities stored in it for use in the soap industry, based on the Law on the Sale and Rent of State Funds (21 of the year 2013) as amended, with a commitment that the use of this substance in the soap industry will be exclusively for companies and factories specialized in this field, after confirming their competence through the procedures established by the law, according to the letter of the Ministry of Industry and Minerals on November 29, 2023.
Second: Amending Paragraph (1) of Cabinet Resolution (23530 of 2023) regarding increasing the capital of the House of Cultural Affairs to become as follows: Approval of increasing the capital of the House of Cultural Affairs/Ministry of Culture, approved by the Federal Office of Financial Supervision and the Committee for Determining Corporate Capital in Ministry of Finance, to become (3,323,773,000) dinars, only three billion three hundred and twenty-three million seven hundred and seventy-three thousand dinars, instead of (15) million dinars, based on the provisions of Article (10) of the amended Public Companies Law (22 of 1997).
Third: Approval to authorize the Minister of Foreign Affairs to negotiate and sign a memorandum of understanding for mutual exemption from entry visas for holders of diplomatic passports, between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Residing Abroad in the Kingdom of Morocco, based on Cabinet Resolution (245 of 2022). ), taking into account the recommendations of the Legal Department in the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers.”