KUWAIT CITY, Nov 21, (KUNA): Around 88,000 illegal residents in Kuwait benefited from the free food supplies, that was offered upon an Amiri grant, the head of the supply department in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Mohammad Khalaf Al-Enizi, said on Monday.

They hold 10,772 food supply cards, issued between last May until Sept 30, he added.
He told KUNA that upon the Ministry of Commerce decision number 409 of the year 2011 concerning offering facilities to illegal residents in Kuwait, the ministry issued decision number 238 for the year 2011 that classified the illegal residents who were included in the Amiri grant of free food supplies.
Total cost of the free food supplies offered for the illegal residents since May 2011 until the end of last September reached KD 4.646 million, he mentioned.

The food supplies they received were of the same quantity and quality of those received by Kuwaiti citizens, he affirmed.

The Amiri grant of free food supplies will end by March 31 of year 2012. The illegal residents will continue to receive the food supplies after that date for specific fees, just like their fellow Kuwaiti citizens, he said.
The ministry increased the number of branches offering food supplies in cooperation with the Cooperative Societies following the issue of the Amiri grant, in order to serve the large number of people entitled to the grant, and to avoid the heavy crowds at the time of receiving the supplies, he said.

The centers of registering the food supply cards have increased in number and employees, machines, and working hours, and are open two timings per day, according to the directions of the Minister of Commerce and Industry, he added.

All citizens and illegal residents entitled for the food supplies have received their allocations, he said.
The food supplies include rice, sugar, lentil, oil, liquid and milk powder, baby milk, chicken and cheese, he stated.