(MENAFN - Arab Times) The Ministry of Comm-erce and Industry embarked Tuesday on distributing free-of-charge food provisions to all citizens eligible to receive them, as part of the recent largesse proffered by HH Amir to the Kuwaiti public.
The largesse falls into two categories, one is an outright grant of KD 1000 for every Kuwaiti citizen, the other is free-of-charge food provisions for Kuwaitis for a period of 14 months beginning in February and ending in April.
The food provisions will be given away through the ministry's network of 69 distribution points scattered through the country.
Concomitant with the handing out of the KD 1,000 largesse, the ministry - in a step to prevent price gouging by merchants and businesses, has begun issuing a daily handout of approved prices of commodities in local markets.
The Minister of Commerce and Industry Ahmad Al-Haroun has in recent days affirmed his ministry's joint efforts with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, the City Municipality, and the cooperative societies union in monitoring price gouging so that to head off any exploitation by merchants and shopkeepers of Kuwaiti shoppers, with pockets bulging with grant money.
In that vein he said the ministry in the past few days has revoked the commercial licenses of at least 140 businesses that have been branded by customer exploitation and price gouging. Throughout the period of the 14 months for distribution of free food, he underlined, the ministry will watch to see that no one will mishandle their share by attempting at selling it in the black market or using it in not the purpose it was designed for.
In another development, the government has managed to control prices across the country and will work on reducing the manipulation of consumer commodities and foodstuff in the current and next period, reports Al-Jareeda daily.
The daily quoting Minister of Commerce and Industry Ahmad Al-Haroun said the government has the law as weapon to fight price hike at the cooperative societies to maintain price stability. He revealed the ministry is monitoring prices in cooperative societies and other markets with the help of the consumer protection offices, and "In coordination with the inspection teams, it will intensify awareness campaigns across the various governorates to uncover any kind of exploitation in prices", he noted.
With the Amiri grant of free supplies for 14 months, Al-Haroun said the Ministry of Commerce has completed the machinery to distribute the ration.
