Kamel Al-Awadhi

KUWAIT: Former MP Kamel Al-Awadhi expressed his disappointment over reports indicating that a state-owned company established this year to handle domestic help recruitment duties was demanding high fees similar to those required by local recruitment offices. The former lawmaker was commenting on a recent announcement by Al-Durra Domestic Help Company, saying that it started receiving applications to hire female domestic helpers from Sri Lanka for KD 990 per application. The news has since sparked a wave of public criticism as citizens were hoping that the newly-established firm would help control recruitment rates which has reached up to KD 1,200 in recent years

Awadhi held the government and National Assembly responsible for such practices and keeping silent about it. He also lauded the quick moves made by Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah and Commerce and Industry Minister Khalid Al-Roudhan, warning office owners to maintain acceptable prices. He said the rates mentioned by the company are totally different compared to the rates mentioned in official letters submitted by Kuwait's ambassadors in the largest domestic help exporting countries such as India, Philippines and Sri Lanka.

Deficit drops

Oil sources expected oil revenues for the fiscal year 2017/2018 to reach nearly $52.5 billion based on an average price of $53.3 per barrel and a production of 2.7 million per barrel. By comparing oil revenues estimate at KD 11.7 billion, the surplus of the budget will be KD 4.1 billion. Oil expert Mohammad Al-Shatti said that the lowest prices were $44.2 per barrel during June 2017 while the highest was $60.1 per barrel in December. By adding non-oil revenues estimated in the budget to be KD 1.6 billion, the total revenues of the state budget will be around KD 17.4 billion, before the deduction of future generations reserve at 10 percent and estimated at KD 1.6 billion, so revenues will be KD 15.8 billion after the 10 percent deduction. With the estimation of total expenses in the budget for 2017/2018 at KD 19.9 billion, the estimated deficit will be KD 4.1 billion which means a drop of KD 2.5 billion.

By A Saleh