KUWAIT: The Supreme Council for Planning and Development's Secretary General Dr Khaled Mahdi said total development projects number 279, of which 25 have been completed, 125 are under construction and 91 are still being readied. Speaking to reporters at a press conference held yesterday to highlight the annual follow-up report of the final statement of the development plan ending on March 31, 2017, Mahdi explained that the total sum allocated for the 2016-2017 plan was KD 3 billion, of which KD 2.28 billion has been already spent, compared to 529 projects with a budget of KD 5.86 billion in 2015-2016.

Mahdi added that the projects include 185 for human resource development with an annual budget of KD 872 million, 77 projects for economic development with a budget of KD 2.1 billion and 17 administrative development projects with a budget of KD 7.3 million. Mahdi said the plan includes 35 strategic projects with an annual budget of KD 2.2 billion.

Responding to a question about the progress so far achieved in various strategic projects, Mahdi explained that 40.7 percent of Sabah Al-Salem university is completed, in addition to 20 percent of the Al-Zour refinery project, 80.9 percent of the biofuel project, 71.6 percent of the Jaber Bridge project, 49.5 percent of the Mubarak Port project, 0.5 per cent of the new airport project and 96.4 percent of the Jaber Hospital project.

The assistant secretary general for planning and follow-up Bader Al-Refae stressed that follow-up  is a significant planning tool that helps face various challenges and accelerates execution. Refae added that the new airport project would be concluded through the 2020-2025 plan, the South Mutlaa project would be concluded by Sept 1, 2019, Farwaniya Hospital by the end of 2019, the new Sabah Hospital in Aug 2018, the new Adan Hospital in Jan 2020, Jaber Hospital in Sept 2017 and Sabah Al-Salem University by the end of 2019.

By Meshaal Al-Enezi