Compensation for Rational Card to be paid this week, Trade Minister says

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraq‘s Trade Minister said on Sunday that the compensation funds for the Rational Card, adopted by the Council of Ministers in an earlier date, would be paid for all citizens this week, through coordination with the Governors.   “The compensation funds for the articles of the Rational Card, adopted by the Council of Ministers in an earlier date, shall be distributed this week, through special committees formed for this purpose,” Minister Kheirullah Babakr said in a statement, received by IraqiNews.com news agency.   The statement pointed out that the Trade Ministry “had coordinated with the Finance Ministry to transfer the said funds to different provinces, in order to distribute them through speciall committees formed by the Governors,” adding that the Trade Ministry “shall prepare all articles of the Rational Card among all strores in the country, through quick contracts, aimed at ensuring the arrival of their full articles and the insurance of the food security for citizens.”   Noteworthy is that the Iraqi Council of Ministers had allocated on 6/2/2011 a fund of 500 billion (b) dinars (US$ equals 1,180 dinars approx), in order to distribute them on citizens, to compensate them for the shortage of the Rational Card‘s items, with an average of 15,000 dinars for each citizen.   The Rational Card in Iraq, issued according to the UN Oil-for-Food Resolution, comprises basic food products, including wheat flour, rice, cooking oil, sugar, tea, beans and other items on all Iraqi citizens.  PT / SKH 685