DOHA: The government spent nearly a billion riyals (QR927.33m) on providing subsidised food items to citizens last year under its popular ‘Tamween’ scheme.
More than half of the money (QR516.76m) was spent on procuring high quality rice alone, figures show. Sugar procurement accounted for the lowest amount (QR41.38m) while about QR210.6m was spent on buying grains.
The procurements for ‘Tamweeen’ are made by the Ministry of Economy and Commerce through its supply department. ‘Tamween’ in Arabic means ‘supplies’. A total of QR63.26m was spent on buying stocks of cooking or edible oil for the scheme, while milk purchase in bulk accounted for QR95.34m, according to figures cited by Al Sharq. All these stocks were bought by floating 13 tenders and five of them were for rice.
Also, the ministry permitted some 1,220 promotions last year and 2,815 publicity campaigns by various outlets to promote their products and services.
In the financial year 2014-2015, a total of 41,416 commercial licences were issued by the ministry. This was more than 8,500 commercial licences that were issued in the previous fiscal year 2013-14. The figure in that year was 32,541.
Other figures cited by the daily suggest that last year, a total of 22,867 births were recorded in the country and they included Qatari and non-Qatari male and female babies. In 11 months since January last year, 3,431 marriages took place in the country.
As for traffic violations, about 991,097 radar violations were recorded in the year.
Radar violations mostly refer to breach of speed limits prescribed for various roads, mainly highways and arterial thoroughfares.
And in the first 11 months of the year, more than 1.5 million traffic violations were recorded.
In whole of the year, some 501 serious injuries were recorded in traffic accidents while minor injuries totalled 4,610, suggest figures.
Jumping the red lights is a serious traffic violation and carries the maximum fine. In 2015, though, the number of this violation was a high of 18,853.
A total of 5,340 real estate transactions were recorded in the year but their exact value was not known. Observers though, believe the value may cross well over the QR50bn-mark.
Last January, there were 14,866 beneficiaries (retirees from different services) of the state’s social insurance scheme who were given away pension to the tune of QR62.51m. However, in November the figure dropped to 12,224 but the pension distributed to them in the month totalled QR73m, which was more than the January total. The daily did not cite the amount or the number of social insurance scheme beneficiaries for 2015.
The Peninsula
