MOP determines the paths to reduce poverty in the country

Baghdad - INA

The Ministry of Planning identified today, Sunday, the tracks of the poverty reduction plan in the country, while revealing the nature of the work of its social fund.

The Deputy Minister of Planning for Technical Affairs, Maher Hammad, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA), that "the Higher Committee for Poverty Reduction Policies continues its work after it was re-composed on June 8, and the poverty alleviation file was transferred to the Ministerial Council for the Economy." 

He added, "Treating the file is not an easy issue and requires working on several things, especially determining the percentage of direct financial need, because poverty in the country is (multi-dimensional) and its image is the lack of health services, education, services or basic living necessities," noting that "the treatment is done by working on those tracks to alleviate poverty. 

He pointed out that "the main poverty factor is financial poverty, which is linked to the inability to provide basic living necessities, and this is linked with the work of the social protection network and empowering the poor through job creation." 

He added, "The ministry is working to provide additional services in poor areas through what it calls the Social Fund," noting that "the fund roams in all villages and governorates to find out the most prominent needs of citizens such as water, electricity, schools and others." 

He pointed out that "the change in the exchange rate and the health curfew helped increase the poverty rate," noting that "the decrease in the poverty rate in Iraq is possible through launching investment projects that will create job opportunities for many citizens."

With regard to the poorest places, he indicated that "they are concentrated in slum areas and villages, and they need a major campaign to change the poverty rate in them and extricate them from their reality."