The newspapers issued in Baghdad today, Thursday, August 10th, followed up on the measures and steps taken to combat corruption and to advance the service situation in Baghdad.

Al-Zawraa newspaper, published by the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, followed the issue of the procedures and steps taken by the government and the Integrity Commission to combat corruption.

In this regard, it referred to the statement of a member of the Parliamentary Integrity Committee, MP, Hadi al-Salami, as saying: “The anti-corruption measures taken by Prime Minister Muhammad al-Sudani and the Integrity Commission, represented by its president, Judge Haider Hanoun, and the commission’s departments, are a step towards reconstruction, especially in the investment sector.”

He added: “The procedures for expelling and chasing the corrupt are a step in the right direction to create the appropriate atmosphere and appropriate conditions for investors to enter the Iraqi market to contribute to construction and reconstruction.”

While the legal expert, Haider Al-Zalmi, considered the procedures of the concerned authorities to combat corruption and prosecute those involved in it good and encouraging.

Al-Zawraa quoted him as saying: “The procedures of the Integrity Commission, the Supreme Judicial Council, and the concerned authorities in the Financial Supervision Bureau represent good steps to immunize Iraqi funds from looting and robbery, recover what has been stolen, and recover wanted persons.”

Al-Zalmi pointed out that: “Iraq needs to activate international agreements to recover fugitive wanted persons, as well as the money that was smuggled, and the combined procedures require coordination between the oversight authorities inside, as well as communication by taking advantage of Iraq’s international relations to recover stolen funds that the corrupt deliberately included them in investment projects there.

On the issue of services in Baghdad, Al-Sabah newspaper, published by the Iraqi Media Network, followed the launch of Al-Rustamiya and the expansion of Al-Nusour Square projects by Prime Minister.

It pointed to Al-Sudani’s assertion, when he chaired a meeting to follow up on the completion of the unified treasury account and electronic payment procedures at points of sale (POS): “The government’s endeavor, from day one, to move with practical steps towards services, due to the importance of this file for the citizen in terms of living, urban and health.”

The Prime Minister said: “Services in the capital, Baghdad, represent a priority, especially with regard to traffic congestion, which is a chronic problem.” He pointed to “the availability of financial allocations in the three-year budget,” explaining that “the projects to remove traffic jams are implemented for the first time in Baghdad, and their positive effects will appear after implementation.”

He explained: “The project includes tunnels and bridges, and there are many conflicts according to the maps, which requires the concertedness of all state institutions to find solutions for them, and implement them, in a way that does not affect the level of required service, nor the pace of completion.”

In another matter, Al-Zaman newspaper dealt with the issue of disbursing scholarships for students of schools and universities from children of families covered by social care.

It referred to the words of legal expert Wael Munther: “From a legal point of view, the student grant must be disbursed retroactively, starting from the implementation of the budget last January, but that depends on the allocations provided by the Ministry of Finance to the ministries covered.”

He added: “As it is known that the academic year begins in September of each year, as students continue studying until May or June, and therefore they deserve the financial grant starting from the second semester of the current year,” stressing: “The aim of the grant is to enhance the financial side of these students during the study.

The newspaper quoted a spokesman for the Ministry of Education, Karim Al-Sayed, as saying: “The grant for students and pupils from families covered by social care has been approved, amounting to 30,000 dinars for pupils and 50,000 dinars for a student,” indicating that the date for disbursing the grant will start with the beginning of the new academic year./ End

Source: National Iraqi News Agency