Government | Wednesday 29 June, 2016 11:35 am |

The Council of Ministers during their weekly meeting on Monday thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman for launching a number of new development projects worth over SR4 billion in Madinah, referring to health, education, water and sanitation projects; and for ordering an extra SR1,691 for all the country’s beneficiaries of social aid.
The Cabinet hailed the security agencies for uncovering several plans by criminal gangs to smuggle drugs into the country aimed at harming citizens and undermining the nation’s social cohesion. The agencies were also praised for the speedy arrest of Daesh supporters in the country who had carried out a “heinous crime” that was completely against the teachings of Islam.
Essam bin Saad bin Saeed, acting minister of culture and information, said the Cabinet was briefed on several reports on current events and developments in the region and the world and lauded the outcome of the talks led by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with political and business leaders recently in the United States including President Barack Obama.
The talks would aid the country’s economic restructuring program under Vision 2030 and its operational plan, the National Transformation Program 2020, aimed at diversifying the country’s revenue sources; and further bolster relations with the United States. The Cabinet also looked forward to the results of Prince Mohammed’s visit to France and talks with President Francois Hollande and other political and business leaders.
Saeed said the Cabinet welcomed the remarks made by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during his meeting with Prince Mohammed in New York last week, where he lauded the Kingdom’s assistance provided to displaced Syrians, developing countries and the United Nations and its agencies.
After reviewing a report submitted by Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, the Cabinet decided to change the name of the Development Authority of Makkah and the Holy Sites to the Development Authority of Makkah Region, to cover the entire region. In addition, new members on the body would include the minister of municipal and rural affairs and the mayors of Jeddah and Taif. The authority’s budget would be separated from Makkah’s municipality, said Saeed.
The Cabinet further decided that the minister of civil service must report to the king for the approval of any requests by government agencies to transfer officials at ranks 14 and 15 between government agencies and assigning them work outside their agencies.
The Cabinet also approved an amendment to the consolidated rules of internal audit units of government agencies and public institutions, requiring the units to cooperate with external auditors; approved the appointment of senior officials; and issued instructions concerning the annual report of the Saudi Bank of Credit and Savings. The Cabinet announced a decision to enable licensed real estate agents to register all rented housing and commercial unit contracts electronically with the government.