The meeting of ministers discussed the restructuring documents and delivered them to those who deserved them. The shift to cash support does not mean the withdrawal of support.

Dam Press:

The Council of Ministers, at its weekly meeting today, chaired by Engineer Hussein Arnous, extensively discussed the restructuring of support, seeking to deliver it to those who deserve it in an efficient, fair and transparent manner, as well as the government’s support directive to transform in-kind support into cash support, deposited monthly into the bank accounts of support card holders, with the aim of developing a support policy that meets the requirements of citizens and reduces waste and disruptions associated with the marketing cycle on a well-studied and planned schedule.
During the meeting it was stressed that the issue submitted to the government is a comprehensive government issue that not only concerns support issues but is divided into three main parts, including the part of amending the support formula. In essence, it seems to be an organizational and technical issue of managing the support structure in an appropriate way, which is simple, because this approach is based on:

– Support for subsidized goods remains, which obviously means that there is no proposal to remove subsidies for subsidized goods in this way.
– The value of this support arrives in the bank account of eligible citizens and can be used directly to purchase supported items.
The second component, the Council said, involves strengthening the architecture of electronic payments and financial inclusion, in line with global and regional trends from the perspective of increasing the concentration of large amounts of money that systemically enter the banking system and strengthening the culture of dealing with banking institutions, which requires facilitating and simplifying the consumption cycle.

During the meeting, the modernization of the national banking system was mentioned, which a few years ago, after the government invested hundreds of billions of dollars, banking institutions, especially public banking institutions, could not receive hundreds of thousands of requests for opening bank accounts. The restoration and development of the public banking infrastructure of Syrian pounds, and the success of banks in reaching the stage of being able to open hundreds of thousands and millions of bank accounts in the normal context of national economic development, is reflected in the strength and efficiency of the banking system and its ability to overcome many difficulties and obstacles and enhance the ability to manage public expenditure and public finances with greater efficiency and fairness, overcoming many phenomena of waste and corruption.
As for the third component of the document supporting the restructuring, the Council explained that it is the strengthening of e-government programs and projects, electronic payment structures and digital transformation, which the government has adhered to despite the restrictions, difficulties, obstacles and sanctions imposed on Syria. It is able to create appropriate conditions and provide the necessary communication and information infrastructure to serve the transformation process from in-kind support to cash support, and in addition, the material dimension of the communication and information infrastructure is crucial to the success of this government policy. This component has an important qualitative dimension, which is the government’s ability to meet the requirements of modernization and modernize government procedures to keep up with the methods of providing services, according to the regional and international situation.
The Council said it is the government’s responsibility to gradually reorganize support according to a well-thought-out and planned timeline, taking into account existing capacities and taking into account the difficulties and obstacles faced by public institutions in carrying out the required tasks. The role of the government, indicating that the government awaits fellow citizens with hope and confidence in their cooperation with the government, whose ultimate goal is to serve citizens and nothing else.
The Council stated that the Syrian Government and all its institutions welcome all opinions aimed at clarifying any aspect of the Government’s project and listen with respect and appreciation to all national voices participating in the discussion of the issue and welcome the receipt of all opinions and discussions of all relevant ministries.
The Council of Ministers concluded its weekly meeting: “While the government emphasizes the progress made in the implementation of this important government and national project at the economic and social levels, it will never rush to take administrative measures on the project, and the follow-up actions will be carried out calmly, accurately and prudently, and no action will be taken until safety, efficiency and fairness are ensured.”
The Council reviewed the work of the technical committees of the ministries and relevant authorities and the procedures for preparing the necessary infrastructure for the mechanism of providing cash support to citizens. Engineer Anos instructed the relevant authorities to continuously coordinate the completion of the cash support delivery system, provided that it is ready by the end of this year, and asked the Economic Committee to submit a monthly report on the progress of the work and the commitment of the ministries to the implementation timeline, in order to ensure the advancement and comprehensiveness of the format.
The prime minister reiterated that the Syrian state will not abandon its policy of support in the areas of education, health and basic commodities, especially bread, heating diesel, natural gas and agricultural diesel, explaining that the new trend of providing support to those in need should be paid in cash with the aim of controlling any imbalances or cases of corruption.
It was also stressed during the meeting that both public and private operated banks provide all facilities to open bank accounts for support card holders who do not have bank accounts.
On the other hand, the Council discussed some important projects, approved service and development projects in some provinces and stressed the immediate and prompt payment of the price of wheat crop to farmers.