Shafaq News / On Wednesday, October 21, 2020, the Council of Ministers of Kurdistan Region held its regular session headed by Prime Minister, Masrour Barzani, in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister, Qubad Talabani.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Prime Minister touched upon the dangerously high transmission rate of COVID-19 attributing it to the non-compliance with preventive measures and health guidelines. The Prime Minister directed the relevant ministries to intensify precautionary measures in government institutions and public places, as a second pandemic wave is expected to spread with the onset of winter.
In the first paragraph of the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister presented a report on the services program that was initiated in the previous ministerial formation. Talabani indicated that the goal of the project is to improve the various governmental services provided to citizens in a manner that ensures their facilitation and acceleration while reviewing the collected fees in return for providing this service.
The meeting decided that all ministries and institutions, under the supervision of the Council of Ministers, must review all decisions and instructions to provide facilities and transparency, improve the quality of information related to services and reconsider the fees collected for these services. The Deputy Prime Minister indicated that the online portal (https://services.gov.kr) is can provide the services, as the citizens will be able to obtain the required information.
In this context, the Council of Ministers authorized Minister of Trade and Industry, Kamal Muslim, to provide appropriate facilities through the General Directorate of Company Registration to register the international brand branches in Kurdistan Region without the routine procedures. This step will enhance the foreign private sector's contribution to the development of the market and economy in the Region.
The Minister of Trade and Industry presented a report that reviews the obstacles hindering the purchase of wheat crops of the region's farmers by the federal government. The Cabinet directed the Ministry of Finance and Economy and the Cabinet Office to take the necessary action in this regard.
In the last paragraph of the meeting, the Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, Begard Shukralla, posited a proposal to exempt imported agricultural raw materials that are not produced in the region from taxes. The proposal also included an exemption from tax duties for importing advanced agricultural equipment by specialized companies, under the condition of providing facilities, including installments selling, to the farmers.
After discussions, and within the framework of the general guidelines of the ninth formation program, the Council of Ministers approved the proposals of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources. Consequently, the Council of Ministers directed the Ministries of Finance and Economy, and the Interior, in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Water facilitate the implementation of this project.
At the same time, the Cabinet affirmed that it attaches great importance to supporting the region's agricultural industry by supporting the private sector to produce the requirements instead of importing them to establish the basis for food security.