KUWAIT: Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al Sabah, Acting Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Minister of Interior, informed the Kuwaiti Cabinet on his decision to move the camp of the Southern Brigade to the Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW), during the Cabinet's weekly Monday meeting. Dr Mohammad Al-Fares, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs lauded the decision adding that it highlighted the government's eagerness to ensure the welfare of its citizens.

He also said that the Cabinet members appreciated the decision as a generous initiative from Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Sabah, to address the housing issue in the country. The camp of the Southern Brigade is two kilometers long and two kilometers wide and is located to the west of Sabah Al-Hamad City. The Cabinet also offered its congratulations to King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud on the upcoming national day celebrations in Saudi Arabia.

Praising the achievements of the Kingdom and its positive role in serving the Muslims and world peace, the Cabinet expressed its wishes to the sisterly kingdom and desired it to have more prosperity, progress, stability and welfare under its wise leadership, Al-Fares said.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr Ali Fahad Al-Modhaf briefed the Cabinet on the preparations for the start of the school year 2022-2023. He elaborated on the arrangements made by the specialized committees on rehabilitation and the maintenance of schools and educational facilities countrywide. The Cabinet expressed its best wishes for all students, adding that no efforts should be spared to ensure a decent educational environment for all students.

Regarding the implementation of mega projects, the Cabinet discussed the recommendations of the competent ministerial committee and the report of the committee on state land, regarding the appropriation of areas for residential projects in urban sites. The Cabinet tasked the Kuwait Municipality with speeding up the appropriation of plots of land, specified in the PAHW report, which will, in turn, distribute the plots among beneficiaries.

The Cabinet added that the municipality was to coordinate with PAHW and other competent state agencies to develop housing projects in these areas and report back to the Cabinet within one month. Meanwhile, the Cabinet debated on the progress of several other projects - the Leisure City project, the timelines of related projects, including Al She'b park (T2), Failaka Island resorts and Al-Sebbiyah Leisure city, the status quo of Al-Shamlan pond, the upgrading of Kuwait International Airport, the labor city, the cargo city, Kuwait railway project, Al-Safarin marketplace and the designing and development of rest houses along highways.

The Cabinet also discussed the latest report of the technical committee on the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Causeway investment projects. The Cabinet tasked the committee to continue working with the two ministries of electricity, water and renewable energy and communication as well as Kuwait Municipality and the Public Authority for Roads and Transportation to finalize the development of the infrastructure on the two artificial islands (the northern and the southern) and facilitate the investment projects of along Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Causeway.

Approving the donation of National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) to the state digital transformation drive, the Cabinet lauded 'the generous contribution' as reflective of the private sector's role in backing the state's developmental efforts. The cabinet members also approved a recommendation -jointly raised by the legal committee and the Martyr's Bureau - to write off the remaining debts of martyrs to PAHW and Kuwait Credit Bank (KCB) and return the repaid funds to the martyr's families.

They also agreed a cybersecurity agreement between Kuwait's Ministry of Defense and the Italian National Cybersecurity Agency, an amendment of the Double Taxation Agreements (DTA) with Luxemburg against double taxation, and an amendment to the February 16, 1999, DTA with Switzerland. The Cabinet also reviewed the latest developments of the situation in the Arab region and beyond. - KUNA