Kuwaiti citizens to receive KD 1,000 Amiri grant

Tuesday,18 January 2011


By : Osama Al-Qatari Jarrah Al-Mutairi Mubarak Al-Shemmari Ahmed Al Shemmari Thamer Hammad

KUWAIT: Kuwaitis have hailed the grant of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, while the Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Roudhan Al-Roudhan disclosed that the project has been studied since last December through a committee formed to this effect.


The minister elaborated that 1,000 Kuwaiti dinars will be granted to each and every citizen, along with free foodstuff allotment for a year, adding that banks are not entitled to block the money anyway or debit it for installment payments.

A source within the Ministry of Finance announced that the same mechanism followed in disbursing an earlier KD 200 grant will be maintained. He noted that a telephone number will be allocated to electronically respond to citizens' queries.

Although no official figures have been released yet regarding the cost, the grant is estimated at about KD 96 million, while the cost of food allotments are put at roughly KD 150 million. A source within the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has estimated the cost to be about KD 1.24 billion.

National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Kharafi commented on the gesture, saying that His Highness the Amir is no stranger to such a grant. Lawmakers equally commended the initiative and affirmed that the grant epitomizes the Amir's closeness to the people and his recognition of their needs. They noted that the gesture will further delight the people as the country prepares for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the country's independence, the 20th anniversary of the liberation and the fifth year of the Amir's ascendance to power.

In the same vein, the Popular Action Bloc issued a statement in which it commended the grant, thanking His Highness the Amir for the gesture.

On his part MP Saleh Ashour noted that the gesture has defused political tension, while expressing gratitude to His Highness the Amir on behalf of the Kuwaiti people for the gesture.

In a related development, MP Hussein Mezyed urged the government to control prices, stressing that the grant is meant for the people rather than the businesspeople.

He warned the Ministry of Commerce and Industry that it will be responsible for any increase in prices.

In other news, government sources have revealed that the Cabinet has renewed its rejection to the resignation of the Interior Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Khaled Al-Sabah. The Cabinet reportedly reiterated its support for the minister to accomplish his reforms and hailed the sterling role he is playing in this regard.

On the other hand, it has been reported that the interpellation that the Popular Action Bloc and the Development and Reform Bloc announced against the minister is faced with challenges amid reports of differences among the concerned MPs about the timing, among other issues, during a meeting held at MP Ahmed al-Saadoun's office.

Other sources have indicated that despite the apparent rifts, the interpellation will be inevitably submitted. It has been informed that the interpellation will likely be submitted on Monday by MPs Shuaib Al-Muwaizri, Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabie and Salem Al-Namlan. The interpellation will reportedly revolve around one issue; the torture to death of a citizen.

In the same context, MP Musallam Al-Barrak noted described the rejection of the minister's resignation by the Cabinet as mere "spectacle", saying that the reluctance to accept the resignation will lead to "adverse" consequences. He said that the timing of the interpellation will be announced soon, adding that it will be centered on the practices of officers who tortured the citizen to death.