KUWAIT CITY, March 18, (KUNA): His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah headed a meeting on Thursday, grouping top state officials for the first time, to brief them on the state’s annual and five-year plans.
In a speech at the beginning of the meeting, His Highness Sheikh Nasser said that the state’s development plan was a “plan for the nation” and not limited to certain institutions, because “we are all partners in this country.” He stressed that all leaders and state officials had to bear their responsibilities.
“It is time to reiterate that the phase of execution has begun, and it was a successful launch that we hope will continue so that we may achieve our aspirations,” he said.
On his part, Deputy Premier for Economic Affairs, State Minister for Development Affairs and State Minister for Housing Affairs Sheikh Ahmad Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah said that this was the first meeting of its kind in Kuwait.
He added that the attendance of all state officials reflected the importance of the upcoming stage and the work needed to implement the annual plan and the development plan.
“We are now in the stage of execution,” Sheikh Ahmad said, adding that there were 798 construction projects worth KD 4.788 billion for the fiscal year 2010-2011.
The meeting was attended by ministers, members of the Higher Council for Planning, head of the Audit Bureau, and the chairman and members of the Municipal Council.
The success of the annual plan developed on cooperation between the executive and legislative branches of the authority in its implementation, said Finance Minister Mustafa Al-Shimali on Thursday.
The minister was speaking to KUNA following a meeting headed by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, grouping top state officials to brief them on the state’s annual and five-year plans.
Al-Shimali said that the implementation of the plan required the establishment of companies and projects, as well as passing legislations, all of which required cooperation between the government and the parliament.
The government and the parliament are working along the same track to implement the plan, he said, and expressed confidence that the plan would be realized through cooperation between the ministers and the MPs.
It is vital to approve the budget, beginning April 1, in order to implement the plan, Al-Shimali said, adding that the fiscal year 2010-2011 would mark the beginning of a new methodology in planning and executing projects that government institutions would be dealing with for the first time.
The minister said that the first step would be to ensure full coordination for the state budget, explaining that each project listed in the plan had a certain amount of importance and would be executed with allocated sums.
Moreover, he said that the success of the plan depended greatly on the ability of the executive authorities, as well as the role that the private sector would play, noting that the plan made the private sector a main development partner.
It is very important to follow and focus on the ministry’s development plan which is part of the state’s overall development plan, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Mohammad Al-Afasi said.
Speaking at a meeting with his ministry’s top officials, Al-Afasi affirmed it was time to take serious and vital steps to realize the state’s development plan, putting plans on paper into actual achievements on the ground.
At the meeting, Al-Afasi also focused on bettering the services provided for citizens and expatriates, adding it was important to take into consideration the human factor in any plan for development.
The minister also called for measures to ensure the rights of foreign labor, providing them with just treatment and housing.
At the social level, the minister called for developing facilities that take care of the elderly and people with special needs, stressing that it was important to support such individuals.
He also noted that providing plans to better social security was also a paramount aspect within the ministry’s development plan.