BAGHDAD-INA
Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi chaired, yesterday, Sunday, the 8th regular session of the Council of Ministers, during which developments in the country were discussed, the items on the agenda were reviewed, and the necessary decisions were adopted.
Media Office of the Prime Minister said in a statement received by the Iraqi news agency INA “At the outset of the session, Prime Minister Al-Zaidi affirmed that the government’s recent anti-corruption campaign represents only the first phase, stressing that the government will continue its efforts to combat corruption and recover public funds. He emphasized that the government is entrusted with safeguarding the interests of the Iraqi people and that there will be no tolerance in fulfilling this responsibility.”
The statement read “Prime Minister Al-Zaidi added that the situation can no longer be ignored, and that the government’s commitment to the welfare of the Iraqi people compels it to reassure citizens that public funds are protected by capable guardians and will be managed responsibly.”
He also directed oversight bodies to receive and review any reports concerning the performance of government institutions and ministries in order to uncover cases of corruption or negligence. He noted that Iraq has endured decades of wars, instability, and the fight against terrorism, and that the government’s current path is fundamentally different through strengthening the authority of the Iraqi state, ensuring its exclusive control over arms and the use of force, and preventing corrupt individuals from exploiting state institutions to steal public funds.
Prime Minister Al-Zaidi also noted that work is underway to prepare next year’s budget based on the program budgeting approach, which will allocate additional funding to the electricity sector to contract 25,000 megawatts of generating capacity during this year, significantly improving the national grid next year. He further stated that the government continues to closely follow up on the One Million Residential Plots Initiative, which will be completed and begin delivering results as soon as possible.
In this context, the Council of Ministers approved the One Million Residential Plots Initiative as a national strategic project to provide serviced residential land, together with the necessary infrastructure, across all governorates (excluding the Kurdistan Region of Iraq), for distribution to eligible citizens to provide them with adequate housing.
The Council also approved the formation of the Higher Committee for the Initiative, chaired by the Prime Minister and comprising a number of ministers and heads of relevant authorities and entities. The committee will formulate the initiative’s overall implementation policy and approve its strategic work plan and timetable based on the following main pillars: establishing eligibility criteria and a beneficiary database, identifying and allocating land, preparing the economic and financing model, and determining the legal framework for implementation. The committee will convene regularly and submit its recommendations to the Council of Ministers.
