About 20 percent of government projects have not been implemented during the past six years, according to a Royal Court report that was presented to the Council of Ministers yesterday.
The Royal Court’s follow-up department found that only 39 percent of the development projects were implemented by government departments during 1/1/1427H to 1/1/1433H.
The Royal Court, however, said 41 percent of the projects were under implementation. “The proportion of projects the departments did not start have reached 20 percent,” said the report that reviewed projects of 20 agencies.
The court thanked the government departments for their cooperation during the follow-up exercise, adding that this enabled the government to get correct information about the status of various development projects.
“This will enhance the sense of responsibility of government agencies in order to carry out their works efficiently and without delay, realizing the expectations of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah,” the Royal Court said.
Referring to the fee hike in private schools following an increase in salaries of Saudi teachers, the Cabinet instructed the Education Ministry to review the fees in accordance with its rules and regulations and ask schools to revise them accordingly.
The Cabinet meeting, which was chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, commended a decision taken by the Saudi Industrial Development Fund to increase the maximum amount of loans for projects in underdeveloped areas to SR 1.2 billion.
The SIDF move comes after King Abdullah increased the fund’s capital to SR 40 billion last year.
Earlier, King Abdullah briefed the ministers on the outcome of his talks with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on major international developments including Syria as well as the global fight against terrorism.
The Cabinet decided to provide financial support to Saudi investors under King Abdullah Initiative for Overseas Agricultural Investment — up to 60 percent of the total investment — under certain conditions.
Spelling out the conditions, Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said the investments should be in countries and products specified under the project.
Also, the investor should present a feasibility study and should have the right to export at least 50 percent of the yield. Agricultural equipment inside the Kingdom could be made use of for the overseas projects.
The Cabinet also authorized Water and Electricity Minister Abdullah Al-Hussayen to hold talks with his Turkish counterpart to discuss prospects of linking the two countries with an electricity power grid.
The talks will be attended by representatives from the ministries of foreign, finance, and petroleum and mineral resources, the Electricity & Co-Generation Regulatory Authority and the Saudi Electricity Company.
The Cabinet appointed Hamad bin Abdullah Al-Tuwaijri adviser for Bedouin affairs at the National Guard; Abid bin Abdullah Al-Saadoun petroleum adviser at the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources; Abdullah bin Muhammad Al-Madi minister plenipotentiary at the Foreign Ministry; and Younus bin Omar Al-Barrak architectural consultant at the Ministry of Education.