Ministerial taskforce formed to handle social safety network

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Sunday formed a committee to handle all affairs related to the social security network, the term referring to the funds allocated to ease the impact of lifting subsidies in the 2018 budget.

The committee will be headed by the social development minister with the membership of labour, health, media affairs, ICT, finance and industry ministers, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The panel is tasked with “sustaining and institutionalising” the JD171 million network, which was announced during the discussions of the general budget of 2018.

Initially, the government trusted the Financial Committee at the Lower House to set the eligibility criteria as it was examining the budget bill. The parliamentary panel made recommendations and set conditions that were accepted by the government, including that all civil and military employees whose salary is below JD1,500 would be entitled to the cash subsidy. 

They also requested the government to add the 60-69 age category to free medical insurance, among other requests. 

The ministerial team formed Sunday will focus on setting “transparent standards of selecting the social segments eligible to receive government subsidies, in addition to approving the mechanisms of delivering the support”.

Mulki called on citizens to subscribe to the government’s electronic platform to be able to post their applications for the support during this month. 

This January, the government has launched its website (www.da3mak.jo) and app (daamak), to enable beneficiaries to subscribe and receive the support.

The government will support military and civil public employees and retirees of military, government and the Social Security Corporation, in addition to the beneficiaries of the National Aid Fund.

The rest of support-eligible citizens will receive the support quarterly or biannually.

The government has also allocated JD10 million to support the military and civil consumer corporations to help them stabilise prices, JD10 million to include more families in the National Aid Fund and JD5 million for food rations at schools in underprivileged regions.