The procedures for examining the certificates of engineers residing in the country did not exclude any of the new or old residents, some of whom have been in the profession for more than 40 years, reports Al-Qabas daily. In order to filter the labor market and purify it from the profession’s claimants, the Kuwait Society of Engineers (KSE), with the cooperation of the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM), is continuing with the procedures for scrutinizing and verifying the certificates issued by Arab and foreign universities to ensure that the engineering profession is practiced by only those Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti specialists who hold certificates.

The society subjected the testimony of a Palestinian engineer named Muhammad Howmel (84 years of age) to test when he submitted a request to renew his work permit, despite working for 48 years in Kuwait under the title of “Engineer”. Howmel held a meeting with the interviewing committee in the Kuwait Society for Engineers to complete the accreditation procedures. He explained that he graduated in the former Soviet Union, and has been practicing his profession in Kuwait since 1974. Throughout this period he did not need to use his certificate or its accreditation.

Certificate
Howmel said, “After requesting the approval of my certificate through PAM, we received an appointment with the interviewing committee in the society. Their procedures were carried out, and the certificate was approved”. He praised this step, which he says enhances the value of the profession and preserves the rights of workers in its field.

Also, Head of the Kuwait Society of Engineers Faisal Al- Atl affirmed the society’s keenness to facilitate the engineering expertise residing in the country, but without compromising the issue of approving the certificates they hold, and ensuring their validity and safety of obtaining them, within the procedures and cooperation between the society and PAM, and with the aim of filtering the labor market of the profession wannabes.

He said the society and the authority are keen to facilitate procedures for engineers and applicants for accreditation certificates, to obtain the title of engineer, as the necessary procedures are followed through the interviews and examinations committee, with the cooperation of Kuwait University, the Public Authority of Applied Education and Training (PAAET) and the holders of engineering expertise in the country.

In addition, statistics issued by the Public Authority of Civil Information (PACI) revealed that there are 40,709 engineers in the country, 26.3 percent of whom are citizens. The statistics showed that the percentage of male specialists in engineering and architecture is about 84 percent, and there are approximately 4,000 Kuwaiti female engineers in this field. As for the division of the age group of Kuwaiti engineers, most of them are in the age group between 30 and 34 years. There are 106 Kuwaiti engineers in the labor market who are over 60 years of age

After the approaching elections for the National Assembly, concerns about ex-pats in Kuwait will once again be in the spotlight, according to the local newspaper Kuwait Times. Its report states that during the first parliamentary sessions of the new National Assembly, the issues that were previously brought up in parliament but on which no action was taken—such as imposing fees on resident remittances, reviewing the costs of medical care for expatriates, and directing them to the private sector by the end of the year, as well as implementing a plan on demographics in the form of a new residency law—will be discussed. 

According to the research, Kuwait's political parties feel that there are now three million foreign workers there, which is a significant increase above the country's labor demands, a burden on public services, a security risk, and unhelpful for achieving meaningful economic development. The administration will be under pressure to cut back on the number of immigrants.

While the Public Authority for Manpower announced the opening of the door for workers to transfer their work permits – workers who were affected due to fake or closed companies, after submitting complaints and taking legal measures, responsible sources explained that this procedure will benefit hundreds of deceived expatriates, who were brought in by companies and then closed their files after their entry into the country which is seen as this is not the fault of the affected workers, reports Al-Qabas daily. The Data Recording Monitor at the Inspection Department of PAM, Bashayer Al-Mutairi, stated that the authority gives the worker brought to Kuwait on closed or non-existent facilities the right to transfer his residency, calling on any worker affected by this matter to review the authority to complete legal procedures against violating and non law-abiding employers. PAM revealed that it has recorded 1,314 labor violations, during 73 inspection campaigns carried out by the Tripartite Committee in various regions of the country, during the first half of this year.

Al-Mutairi said that the tripartite committee was able to seize 600 domestic workers working in the private sector, whether they were registered as absconders or not working with their original sponsors. Al-Mutairi added that legal measures were taken against 2,029 violating workers who were arrested during the inspection tours by the Tripartite Committee, in addition to the registration of other violations by the Inspection Department of Establishments and non-compliant employers.

Al-Mutairi called on business owners to update the data and ensure that the workers are given their rights and prevent them from working for others to avoid violations, stressing that if the facility was permanently closed and there was no real work, there are financial fines of up to 2,000 dinars minimum for each worker and up to 3 years in prison, noting that strict measures are being taken against any sponsor who shelters violators of the residence and labor laws.

Gold purchases by citizens and residents in Kuwait from January to the end of June 2022 was about 9 tons of bullion, coins and ready-made gold works, which is the same value as purchases during the first half of 2021, but there are clear changes in the policy acquisition as it increased in bullion and coins that are treated investment only, while it relatively decreased in purchase jewelry wear.

The World Gold Council said Kuwait’s purchases during the first half of 2022 were relatively distributed by 23.3% or 2.1 tons for the country’s purchases of bullion and gold coins, while the ready-made jewelry accounted for 76.7% of the total gold purchases or 6.9 tons.

This is in view of the global geopolitical factors in addition to the economic variables, on top of which comes the high inflation rates and the subsequent successive increases in interest rates by the US Federal Reserve, which increased the attractiveness of the dollar and the tendency towards saving. However, the gold market in Kuwait translated this into increases in the acquisition of bullion and gold coins, which reached its peak during from April until the end of June 2022.

The General Directorate of Traffic Department issued 8 instructions to taxi operating offices/companies. Drivers who violate these instructions will be held accountable.

Within the framework to improve taxi transportation service in the country and to provide best service to Kuwaitis and expats guaranteeing their safety and safety of vehicle driver and facilitating smooth traffic on the roads following instructions have to be followed:

1. English and Arabic permits for taxis should be placed behind the driver’s seat / front passenger seat
2. Taxi companies details and drivers details including phone numbers should be displayed
3. Taxi Fare Meter should be operational for roaming taxis
4. Sign on taxi should be illuminated indicating no passengers
5. Taxi drivers are not permitted to pick up passengers from anywhere on the streets
6. Commitment of taxi and on-call taxi drivers not to pick up passengers from Kuwait International Airport
7. Taxi drivers are not allowed to pick up passengers from highway or main roads
8. Taxis are meant to give transport only to passengers and no goods/equipment’s/food are allowed to be transported

Step 1 - Please visit traffic fine payment link on MOI website

 https://www.moi.gov.kw/main/eservices/gdt/violation-enquiry?culture=en

Step 2 - Enter your Civil id no  if you are individual , company no if you are paying for company and click on enquire

Step 3 -  If you have any fines it will show , you can select the ticket and click pay

Step 4 - Once you amke the payment , you will get a payment confirmation as below , print it or save as screenshot , it wil be useful incase of any issues.

Payment is succefully done , if you have any suggestions or any queries , you can send us an email to info@kuwaitlocal.com

Several employees of the Airport Security Department at Kuwait International Airport recently stopped working for an hour in protest against the decision to change the shifting system from three working days and two days off to six working days and two days off, reports Al- Jarida daily quoting sources. Sources disclosed that the decision was taken after the employees demanded for recognition of their rights when Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and acting Minister of Interior Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled approved the shift allowance for airport security inspectors.

Sources said the protest was aimed at delivering a message to the interior minister that their rights have repeatedly been disregarded, while the nature of their work changed without any official statement or instruction from the Civil Service Commission.

Sources added the department took action based on a verbal decision. Meanwhile, Kuwait Airways cabin crew exhibited their admirable professionalism and expertise in dealing with emergency situations for the second time this month, reports Al-Qabas daily.

The crew of a Kuwait Airways aircraft (flight KU117) bound for New York City, United States of America on Sunday succeeded in helping a pregnant woman give birth while on board the plane. According to Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC), it regularly conducts integrated training programs for its employees to make them always ready to handle emergency situations

In a new reform step to preserve public money, an official source revealed to Al- Qabas that the Minister of Information and Culture and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Abdul Rahman Al-Mutairi issued decisions to terminate the contracts of more than 50 consultants and experts in the Ministry of Information. A reliable source told the daily that the contracts were terminated from various sectors of the ministry. He said they received salaries although there was no need for them. Minister Al-Mutairi has kept a very limited number of consultants according to the needs of the media sectors.

On the other hand, upon directives from Al-Mutairi, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information, Muhammad bin Naji, issued a decision to cancel all committees and work teams in the ministry, with immediate effect.

Evaluation
The source stated that all committees will be subject to evaluation and study again, so that the right person will be placed in the right place, away from “nepotism and favoritism and to ensure the implementation of the Ministry of Information’s strategy in qualifying creative youth to support national competencies and expertise.” The source indicated that some of these committees and work teams will be re-formed to ensure experienced and qualified youth are absorbed in the ministry to carry out the tasks of these committees to the fullest. Meanwhile, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information, Muhammad bin Naji, issued a circular to the ministry’s employees in which he stressed that “not to work for institutions, bodies, companies or individuals, whether during or outside official working hours, whenever that is, without obtaining a permit or prior written permission from the Ministry,” noting that “anyone who violates this will be subject to legal responsibility,” reports Al-Jarida daily.

Circular
Bin Naji said that the circular comes in implementation of Article 25 of Decree-Law No. 15 of 1979 in the matter of civil service, which states in the third item that it is prohibited to “perform work for others with or without a paycheck, even during nonofficial working hours, except with written permission. “The failure to obtain this permission is considered a disciplinary offense that requires accountability.” In the meantime, the Minister of Social Affairs and Community Development, Fahd Al-Shariaan, has issued a series of decisions regarding the reappointment of temporary directors for a number of cooperative societies, within the framework of completing the cancellation of decisions issued by the former Minister of Social Affairs, Mubarak Al- Aro, reports Al-Qabas daily. Al-Shariaan’s decisions issued on Sunday include the appointment of 6 temporary managers in cooperative societies. The sources indicated that 50% of the temporary managers are employees of the Ministry of Social Affairs. Sources pointed out that Al- Shariaan asked the appointed members and temporary directors to submit monthly periodic reports on the work and activities of the associations.

The strange accident that happened at the Jahra Traffic Department building when the roof suddenly collapsed, has sounded alarm bells of the need to expedite certification of certificates and the accreditation mechanism, and to conduct professional tests for engineering support staff to avoid such accidents in future, which over the past years have led to the demolition of old government buildings, some of which were built by unskilled labor, reports Al-Qabas daily.

None of the employees or the visitors was injured because one of the employees who felt something was wrong urged the visitors and colleagues to leave the hall seconds before the roof came crashing down. Head of the Society of Engineers, Faisal Al-Atl, believes the latest incident in the Jahra Traffic Building blamed unqualified workers, and leniency in engineering supervision and contractors.”

The sources told Al-Qabas that there was a delay in adopting the testing mechanism and operating the professions center in the Kuwait Society of Engineers, despite its readiness, due to some concerns among the Public Authority for Manpower about the enormity of the project. The sources stated that the “engineers” had prepared a center for professional tests for supporting jobs in the engineering sector, which was screened during the last period, and to enable the certification of the certificates of its employees, and to ensure their expertise and testing.

Sources added PAM and the society met on several occasions during the past two months, and agreed to operate the center and start approving professional certificates and the step will be linked to new or renewal of work permits. The linking mechanism will be electronic between the authority and the association, regarding the accreditation and issuance of work permits for professionals affiliated with 71 different professions.

Al-Atl cited five elements that threaten incidents such as the traffic department — many government buildings are old and dilapidated, use of unskilled labor in construction work, lax supervision of engineering works by contractors, delay in adopting the testing mechanism for engineering workers and the slowdown in the operation of the ‘Professional Center’, despite its readiness

Ahmadi Health District Director Ahmad Al-Shatti has vehemently denied the rumor that Adan Hospital recorded a case of monkeypox; stressing both the hospital and the district remain free of monkeypox, reports Al-Seyassah daily. In an exclusive statement to the daily, Al-Shatti disclosed that the medical specialists at Adan Hospital monitored a Kuwaiti child, who came from Bosnia a few days ago, due to suspicion of being infected with monkeypox. Although the doctors in charge of treating the child did not notice any monkeypox symptoms, they referred the child to the Communicable Diseases Hospital as a precaution, he explained.

He added the results of tests proved that the child has no smallpox, and that he is suffering from rashes caused by change in weather conditions or intake of certain foods. He affirmed the alert level has been raised to efficiently deal with any possible monkeypox infection by holding workshops and lectures on the disease in coordination with the Public Health, Primary Health Care, Dermatology and Emergency departments in the hospital.

He went on to confirm that the epidemiological situation in the region remains stable, pointing out the decreasing number of Covid cases in the country. He said Adan Hospital is closely monitoring developments, as well as circulars issued by the concerned international and local authorities, about epidemics and emerging diseases.

 Kuwait Federation of Restaurants, Cafès and Catering Services Chairperson Fahd Al-Arbash said the revenues of the sector has decreased by 40 percent compared to its earnings in June when it incurred millions of losses, reports Al-Anba daily. In a statement to the daily, Al-Arbash revealed that the sector is facing certain challenges; foremost of which is the rising prices of raw materials used in operational processes like oil, butter, chicken, rice, cheese, chocolate and others.

He added there has been 100 percent increase in the prices of some items, prompting many restaurant owners to procure primary products on credit. He warned that lack of control over the prices will further increase the losses of restaurants.

Turnover of the company, formed by 2,677 women, from cultivation of indigenous varieties pegged at ₹3 crore for the year
Panchabati Baske of Damodarpur village and Nirmala Mahato of Murakhati village are trendsetters in their respective villages in West Bengal’s Jhargram district. Though not highly educated, Ms. Baske and Ms. Mahato have started a revolution by cultivating indigenous varieties of rice organically, without using any chemical fertilisers. There are 55 women farmers in Damodarpur village and 21 women farmers in Murakathi village following in their footsteps by growing indigenous varieties of rice.

Hundreds of women farmers have taken up the cultivation of indigenous rice varieties like Kalabhat (Black rice), Mallifullo (brown rice) and Kerala Sundari (raw aromatic full bran folk rice) and Red Rice, locally called as Sathia, in the remote villages of Jhargram.

What started in 2017 with a dozen women has taken the form of a company with 2,677 women farmers as shareholders to Aamon Mahila Chasi Producer Company Limited. The number of women cultivators, across the five-gram panchayats of Nayagram block in Jhargram, participating in this initiative now stands at over 4,500. The area of land cultivated this year is more than 1,100 hectares .

Ms. Baske started by cultivating the indigenous rice varieties in two to three cottahs of land in 2016-17. This year, she has cultivated black rice in 1.5 bighas (1 bigha = 20 cottahs) of land and Sathia rice in one bigha land. “We are saving ₹4,000 to ₹5,000 per bigha on fertilisers and there is not much difference in the yield,” she said. Both Ms. Baske and Ms. Mahato told  The Hindu that they have made profits by cultivating organic indigenous rice varieties. They also said that as stakeholders to Aamon, they have a greater say in decision making when it comes to farming. 

PRADAN, a non-government organisation, have hand-held the women by providing training in the cultivation process. Photo: Aamon women
PRADAN, a non-government organisation, have hand-held the women by providing training in the cultivation process. The body has also set up a rice processing mill and has started marketing the indigenous produce to different parts of the country. A bio- fertiliser unit has also come up in the region replacing the chemical-based fertilisers used in high-yielding varieties by farmyard manure and other natural inputs.

Madhura Kanjilal, an executive with PRADAN, said that the turnover for Aamon this year is pegged at ₹3 crore. “The women who are part of Aamon have a voice now. Though agriculture is considered a male domain, most of the labour is provided by women. Women farmers at Aamon have the final say as to what to do when it comes to agriculture,” she said.

According to the women farmers, the yield varies with the varieties. While it is about five to six quintals per bigha for indigenous varieties, for the high-yielding paddy cultivated with chemical fertilisers, this can be about nine to ten quintals. With the price of the indigenous varieties being three times, the women farmers are making profit. 

Supplementary product
Aamon has also provided the women farmers with control over what seeds they could use to grow their food, thereby relieving them of dependence on the high-yielding varieties available in the market which require chemical-based fertilisers.  Along with rice, the women also produce plates made of sal leaves, which are abundantly found in the region.  This year onwards, the women farmers are also selling this ecofriendly product.

Buddhadeb Jana, manager at Aamon, who looks after the marketing of the indigenous organic rice varieties, said that the challenge remains to reach individual customers. “We have customers in different parts of the country from Maharashtra to Tamil Nadu. We at Aamon are mostly dependent on institutional buyers but are ready to sell those seeking orders above 50 kgs,” he said.

Mr. Jana also added attempts are being made so that the rice varieties are available to individual customers through online platforms.

Today, India supplied the tenth batch of medical assistance as part of India’s ongoing humanitarian assistance. The same was handed over to the Indira Gandhi Hospital, Kabul.

In view of the urgent appeals made by the United Nations to assist the Afghan people, India has, so far, supplied 32 tons of medical assistance in ten batches, which includes essential life saving medicines, anti-TB medicines, 500,000 doses of COVID vaccine etc. These medical consignments have been handed over to the World Health Organization(WHO) and Indira Gandhi Children Hospital, Kabul.

In Kuwait, the Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital has already performed over 100 robot-assisted surgeries, with the number expected to rise to 200 by the end of the year.

Among the medical procedures performed at Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital were obesity, colon, abdominal wall, hernia and bladder operations, according to Dr. Sulaiman Al-Mazidi.

Based on the great support of the Ministry of Health, his surgical department boasts that it uses endoscopies and robots in surgical operations.

The achievement is in line with Kuwait's vision to overhaul the health system and provide citizens with the best care in the world.

Dr. Maher Al-Chaar, Co-Medical Director of Bariatric Surgery at St. Luke's University Hospital in Pennsylvania, said he visited Kuwait to perform complicated robot-assisted surgeries.

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In a decision recently released by the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, Fahd Al- Shariaan, a guarantee of KD5,000 is now required to obtain a license to operate a nursery, reports Al-Jarida daily. In addition, the owner should be a Kuwaiti who holds a diploma, university certificate or its equivalent; and should not be employed in the government or private sector.

For new applicants and those renewing licenses, the concerned committee will review the license application within 10 days and approve it within 30 days. The applicant will be notified in writing within one week from the date of issuance of approval or rejection, including a statement justifying the decision. Sources revealed that the amendment also includes conditions for selecting the nursery's location.

The Minister of Municipality, Dr. Rana Al-Fares has a 3-phase time plan for Kuwaiti jobs in the municipality, reports Al- Qabas daily. The first phase begins with the termination of contracts of 33% of non- Kuwaitis with a notice period, starting from next September 1, followed by the second phase by ending 33% on February 1, 2023, provided that in the third phase the notice period will begin period from July 1, 2023 for the remaining number of expatriate employees.

Al-Fares in a letter addressed to the Director- General of the Municipality, Eng. Ahmad Al- Manfouhi, a copy of which is obtained by the daily, has asked him to provide her with lists of the names of non-Kuwaiti employees in preparation for taking the necessary legal measures to terminate their services within one week.

Excluded
The letter excluded the following categories — the non-Kuwaiti employee of a Kuwaiti mother, children of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and permanent residents (bedoun), provided they are registered with the Central Apparatus for Illegal Residents’ Status and others as determined by the letter. Al-Fares stressed the suspension of all procedures for the appointment of non- Kuwaitis, and the suspension of all transfers of non- Kuwaiti workers between departments and sectors.

Based on the Municipal Council's decision, a team from the Ministry of Electricity and Water is going after the telecom towers that are violating the law in private residential areas. According to Resolution No. 121/2017, which forbids the extension of electric power without the ministry's approval, the presence of telecommunication towers in private residential areas and the subsequent violations related to electricity extensions and the increase in pressure on the network are considered serious violations.

This is the first time that such a step has been made to halt the violations of these towers in private residential areas, according to local reports. According to the report, power was turned off for a number of these towers after warnings were issued and notices instructing their removal were put up. The Kuwait Municipality, the Ministry of Health, the Directorate General for Civil Aviation, and the Ministry of Communication must all provide their consent before these towers can be built in residential structures. 

At the Kuwait International Airport, officials conducted an unexpected traffic campaign to target private taxis. Twenty offenders were detained, and legal action was taken against them.

Security operations were carried out by officials against unlicensed taxis (private vehicles) that pick up passengers at Kuwait International Airport. Officials announced that the campaign against illegal taxis will continue and recommended passengers deal with the authorized "cab" at the airport upon their arrival.

As the taxis authorized to operate at the airport are operated by trained drivers, the Ministry advised travelers entering the country not to rent these illegal cars.

A government document sheds light on a comprehensive vision for the development of the Failaka Island complete with a touristic park, reports Al- Qabas daily. The project represents a unique opportunity to establish a development, tourism and investment project with international standards and within the existing laws and procedures at no cost to the state, and provides a valuable addition to the country’s tourist attractions.

The document, a copy of which is obtained by the daily, states that the Failaka Island Resort development project will revive the tourism sector in the country, provide job and contracting opportunities for Kuwaiti companies of different sizes and in different sectors, attracts Gulf and non-Gulf tourists and confirms government’s seriousness in developing the island and attracting reluctant investors. The daily added there are several advantages such as encouraging the tourism sector in Kuwait, and moving the economic wheel on Failaka Island at the lowest cost to the state budget; government participation by providing tourist lands at a cost that encourages the private sector; participation of the private sector to attract the best models of tourist parks through construction, development and operation; increasing the supply of land allocated for recreation, which will lead to a decrease in fixed operating costs; enhancing the demand and raising the value of projects and related services directly and indirectly, in preparation for the implementation of the comprehensive development project for Failaka Island entrusted to the Minister of Municipality and enabling the private sector to attract talent and develop unique and innovative projects with economic, social and environmental returns.

General perception
The general perception of the project shows during the process of redeveloping and operating the park, a commitment is made to preserve the unique cultural, social and environmental heritage of the island, in line with the comprehensive vision of Failaka Island; the Failaka Tourist Park site divided into 2-4 parks as needed, and that each park has a special character, to serve various segments of clients (tourist park, family park, heritage park), sanatoriums for physiotherapy or convalescence and recuperation and the development of public facilities and services for all parks in an integrated manner to serve the project as a whole, provided that collective and alternative internal transportation are provided to ensure a comfortable and attractive environment for citizens.

The time period for starting the project is believed to be from 6 to 9 months and will included setting the project’s needs, specifications and conditions for the investor; establishing a selection mechanism from technical, economic, financial, and service specifications, and the project idea; announcing the investor submission period of 3 months; a committee that studies the submitted projects and selects the most appropriate; a lease contract will be concluded between state property and the investor for a period of 20 years. According to the proposed model for the development and operation of the project is lease for 20 years using the differentiation mechanism including the project is offered for rent for a period of 20 years in accordance with Article 17 of the State Property Law. Which stipulates that it is permissible to lease the state’s private real estate or movable property at a nominal fee or less than the same wage to a legal or natural person with the intention of achieving a purpose of public benefit, and the lease is based on the proposal of the Minister or the head of the competent authority or institution and the approval of the Council of Ministers; the desire of the Ministry of Finance to offer the project for exploitation and to attract offers from qualified and licensed private sector companies is announced and terms terms and conditions for submission are set to serve the overall perception of the island from the Ministry of Municipality and in line with the highest international standards.

 The concerned departments in the Ministry of Education are racing against time in preparing for the next school year considering a lot remains to be done in terms of maintenance works and air conditioning, reports Al-Seyassah daily quoting sources.

Sources affirmed that the ministry officials have intensified their efforts to address shortcomings before the opening of schools. Sources expressed concern over the delay in preparations; taking into consideration the numerous requests and reports from educational districts, particularly the need for comprehensive maintenance and renovation of many schools.

Sources revealed these reports include the renovation and painting of fences, toilets, floors, sewage and water networks; maintenance of air conditioning and fire prevention systems and playgrounds; repair of landings and walkways; roof insulation; construction of canopies, electrical maintenance and other works.