Gov’t to start ‘serious’ work on development fund next week

AMMAN -The government will next week embark on efforts to work out the mechanisms of a JD150 million fund set up recently to address development concerns in the governorates, Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit said on Wednesday.

At a meeting with the editorial staff of Al Rai and The Jordan Times during a visit to the Jordan Press Foundation, the premier said next week will witness extensive meetings of government experts to put together all the details concerning the Governorates Fund, established upon directives by His Majesty King Abdullah recently.

The fund, he said, is a key component of the development process, under which authorities would be paying more attention to districts outside the capital.

The initiative seeks, in the first place, to ensure fair distribution of the gains of developments among all areas, Bakhit added.

The premier noted that the government has already allocated JD40 million for the fund. He highlighted the need for a fruitful partnership between the public and private sectors to deliver positive outcomes of the plan.

He acknowledged that authorities have failed over the past decades to focus on the development of these areas.

“It is true that some projects were drawn up for various governorates, but they remained on the drawing board.”

The development process is progressing in parallel with the political reform plan, the premier added.

One imminent achievement, he said, is the municipal elections, which will “take place this year, hopefully under the new municipal law that is still in the hands of Parliament, which will hold today a joint session to debate differences between MPs and senators.

jordantimes