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RIYADH – Nepal is keen to diversify its bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia, as the demand for Nepalese coming to work in the Kingdom has increased during the past few years, said Hamid Ansari, Nepalese Ambassador to the Kingdom.

In an exclusive chat with Saudi Gazette here on Wednesday, Ansari said Nepal established diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia in 1977 and since then his country has become one of the largest suppliers of manpower to the Kingdom.

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JEDDAH: The Ministry of Labor is pressing for increasing the minimum monthly salary of Saudi workers in private companies to SR1,500, said Deputy Labor Minister Abdul Wahid Al-Humaid on Thursday.

There is a study on salaries, which is being prepared in cooperation with other government departments, Al-Humaid told Al-Jazirah Arabic daily.

He said the ministry has given top priority to employment of Saudis in the private sector.

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RIYADH – Abdul Wahid Al-Humaid, Deputy Minister of Labor, has described the situation of “random foreign workers” in the Kingdom as “like something out of the movies.”

“Saudis are going to end up a minority in their own country if this continues,” Al-Riyadh newspaper reported Al-Humaid as saying at a recent press conference in the capital.

Reportedly displaying clear signs of “annoyance”, Al-Humaid spoke of “money exchanging hands for individuals to provide sponsorship” and companies obtaining visas for foreign workers and then subsequently ceasing to exist.

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JEDDAH: Deputy Labor Minister Abdul Wahid Al-Humaid has ruled out the possibility of canceling the sponsorship (kafeel) system in the Kingdom. However, he promised that his ministry would do whatever needed to protect the rights of both employers and employees.

The Labor Ministry is not the only party to take a decision on the sponsorship system. Saudi citizens spend a lot of money on recruitment of foreign workers. It is not sensible to cancel the system, Al-Watan Arabic daily quoted the minister as saying in a report published on Thursday.

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DAMMAM – The restriction on the number of Bangladeshi workers employed in local companies has scaled back the recruitment of these workers to the Kingdom and reduced employment opportunities for those who are already here, according to a Bangladeshi labor counselor.

“It has been ruled that employment of Bangladeshi workers in any local company should not exceed 20 percent of the total number of employees in that company,” said Kazi Abukalam, labor counselor at the Bangladeshi Consulate in Jeddah.

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RIYADH: The Ministry of Labor found jobs for 37,494 Saudis in the private sector over the first 10 months of 2009, according to a report on Friday from the Saudi Press Agency, citing a ministry report.

The Ministry of Labor is implementing a 25-year strategy aimed at providing maximum employment opportunities to Saudis by developing the job market for Saudis and thus reducing unemployment to a minimum in line with the Council of Ministers Order No. 20 dated June 27, 2009. The Cabinet order is also intended to raise the competitiveness of the Saudi work force and the national economy, the report said.

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JEDDAH – The Ministry of Social Affairs has given SR70 million to charities involved in providing aid to flood victims.

Yousef Al-Othaimeen, Minister of Social Affairs, said part of the money was given as additional financial aid to the charities. This was to cover for direct financial aid they had provided to victims and freight expenses for foodstuffs they had shipped to affected areas.

The money had been provided following his meeting Tuesday with Ali Al-Hanaki, Director General of the Social Affairs department in Makkah.

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JEDDAH: Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf said Tuesday that government spending on development projects had increased by 200 percent during the past five years. He said the SR70 billion deficit in the 2010 budget was the result of the governments plan to increase spending on welfare projects and not because of any crisis.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah announced Monday the national budget for 2010, projecting expenditures at SR540 billion and revenues at SR470 billion.

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JEDDAH – Ministers have reacted positively to Monday’s announcement of the state budget for 2010, describing it as “balanced” with an overall emphasis on public welfare and development projects, and responded to King Abdullah’s warnings in his address that “it is the minister alone who will shoulder the blame” over any plans that fail to get off the ground by assuring that allocations will be used as required.
“The budget will serve as an incentive for all ministers to work for the completion of the nation’s projects without delay,” said Minister of Transport Jabarah Bin Eid Al-Suraisiry.
Al-Suraisiry said the budget showed a good balance between sectors and brought a “large increase in projects compared to last year’s.”
“It comes from the King’s vision and instructions to achieve balanced development in the country,” Al-Suraisiry said.

Poverty eradication
Yousuf Al-Othaimeen, Minister of Social Affairs, said that the new budget would speed up the campaign to eradicate poverty, describing it as a “budget for prosperity.”
“The allocations for tackling poverty have been driven by the will to reduce the time frame for the eradication of the problem,” he said.
“The ministry is determined to ensure the use of its budget allocation for the achievement of public interests,” Al-Othaimeen said.
Ali Bin Soleiman Al-Atiya, Deputy Minister of Higher Education, said the new budget was a reflection of the success of the leadership’s policies.
“SR137.6 billion has been given to General and Higher Education and training the workforce,” Al-Atiya said.

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RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on Monday reshuffled the Supreme Economic Council (SEC) inducting Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and Prince Muhammad bin Naif, assistant interior minister for security affairs, to the apex body.

The king also reconstituted the SECs permanent committee, making Prince Saud its new chairman and Prince Muhammad its member. Labor Minister Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Ali Al-Naimi, and Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf are other prominent members.

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