KUWAIT: The total salaries of state employees reached KD 4 billion for the period covering the start of the current fiscal year in April 1, 2017 to the end of November 2017, said the finance ministry, noting that the sum total was only 58.5 percent of the estimated payroll of KD 6.79 billion for the entire year. The ministry added that the Future Generations Reserve Fund (FRF) for the same period was KD 983.11 million and that the government's overdue debts were KD 1.47 billion. Finance ministry statistics also showed that the budget deficit for the same period was KD 2.4 billion with total revenues of KD 9.831 billion and expenditure of KD 9.976 billion. Oil revenues for the same period were KD 9 billion while non-oil revenues were KD 1.6 billion.

95 percent

The Environment Public Authority's (EPA) administrative affairs department and the special committee formed to interview new applicants seeking EPA jobs recently finished interviewing 1,500 citizens who applied for different jobs and matched EPA's advertised conditions. The committees are currently assessing interviewees to select the best within a plan to 'Kuwaitize' 95 percent of EPA positions after advertising 100 vacancies for citizens. Separately, EPA will tour ideal fish farms in Sulaibiya to make sure no environmental laws are violated. EPA also announced its intention to distribute wild plant saplings to campers.

Small businesses

Three ministries will soon be housed in the small and medium projects center's building in Al-Siddiq, which already houses eight bodies who serve entrepreneurs. Al-Siddiq center supports owners of small businesses and provides them with all sorts of assistance including recruitment of four laborers per four square meters of the premises area and 10 workers on launching the project. The center opened in November 2016.

No scholarships

Responding to applicants' inquiries, the official account of the private universities council announced that there will be no domestic scholarships in the second semester as the same was done last year due to budget reasons.

By A Saleh