06 March 2011
Baghdad - The parliamentary economic committee will oversee all commercial contracts signed by the Trade Ministry in order to eliminate corruption, a committee member announced today.
Salman al-Moussawi told AKnews that the intervention of the commission is backed by the government in a bid to accelerate the work of the ministry and negate the possibility of fraudulent contracts being signed.
"The Parliamentary Economic Committee will hold weekly talks with Ministry directors to ensure the smooth distribution of ration card items without any delays," he said.
Moussawi said the committee will also ensure the quality of the food items bought by the ministry for distribution under the system.
The head of the economic committee warned in February his committee's intention to summon the Iraqi Trade Minister Rozh Nouri Shaways and connected officials over the failings of the ration card system.
Ahmed al-Alwani told AKnews at the time that the Commission would demand disclosure of the accounts relating to the controversial ration card and a detailed explanation of funds allocated and the way they were spent.
"The commission will take serious stance on this issue to ensure that the money spent corresponds to the ration card items and covers all the provinces without exception," Alwani said.
Last year the Trade Ministry announced cuts to the ration card system that provides economically challenged Iraqi families with cut price staple food items. The cuts effectively reduced the scope of the subsidies to include just four items; flour, sugar, cooking oil and rice.
The ration card system was adopted in Iraq after the UN Security Council imposed economic sanctions on Iraq following the invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
With independent figures indicating that 27% of the Iraqi population lives below the poverty line, the ration card remains for many an important source of economic relief.
In the 2010 federal budget, close to $2.9 billion was allocated to the ration card scheme which had cost the country more than $3.1 billion in 2009.
The system has faced increasing criticism in a number of Iraqi provinces where distribution of the items covered by the scheme is often delayed or incomplete and in some parts of the country, the scheme has stopped functioning altogether.
The delivery of the ration card items was delayed this year in most provinces for reasons described by the Trade ministry as "technical".
Protests breaking out across Iraq in recent weeks have focused on poor public services, rising unemployment and cuts to the ration card system, all contributing to an overall slump in living standards for many Iraqi citizens.
The Regions Development Committee in parliament announced earlier this year that $4.5 billion has been allocated to the Trade Ministry within the 2011 budget to meet the provision of the ration card items so there are no valid excuses to delay the delivery of those items to Iraqi citizens.
Baghdad - The parliamentary economic committee will oversee all commercial contracts signed by the Trade Ministry in order to eliminate corruption, a committee member announced today.
Salman al-Moussawi told AKnews that the intervention of the commission is backed by the government in a bid to accelerate the work of the ministry and negate the possibility of fraudulent contracts being signed.
"The Parliamentary Economic Committee will hold weekly talks with Ministry directors to ensure the smooth distribution of ration card items without any delays," he said.
Moussawi said the committee will also ensure the quality of the food items bought by the ministry for distribution under the system.
The head of the economic committee warned in February his committee's intention to summon the Iraqi Trade Minister Rozh Nouri Shaways and connected officials over the failings of the ration card system.
Ahmed al-Alwani told AKnews at the time that the Commission would demand disclosure of the accounts relating to the controversial ration card and a detailed explanation of funds allocated and the way they were spent.
"The commission will take serious stance on this issue to ensure that the money spent corresponds to the ration card items and covers all the provinces without exception," Alwani said.
Last year the Trade Ministry announced cuts to the ration card system that provides economically challenged Iraqi families with cut price staple food items. The cuts effectively reduced the scope of the subsidies to include just four items; flour, sugar, cooking oil and rice.
The ration card system was adopted in Iraq after the UN Security Council imposed economic sanctions on Iraq following the invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
With independent figures indicating that 27% of the Iraqi population lives below the poverty line, the ration card remains for many an important source of economic relief.
In the 2010 federal budget, close to $2.9 billion was allocated to the ration card scheme which had cost the country more than $3.1 billion in 2009.
The system has faced increasing criticism in a number of Iraqi provinces where distribution of the items covered by the scheme is often delayed or incomplete and in some parts of the country, the scheme has stopped functioning altogether.
The delivery of the ration card items was delayed this year in most provinces for reasons described by the Trade ministry as "technical".
Protests breaking out across Iraq in recent weeks have focused on poor public services, rising unemployment and cuts to the ration card system, all contributing to an overall slump in living standards for many Iraqi citizens.
The Regions Development Committee in parliament announced earlier this year that $4.5 billion has been allocated to the Trade Ministry within the 2011 budget to meet the provision of the ration card items so there are no valid excuses to delay the delivery of those items to Iraqi citizens.
© AK News 2011
