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A PARLIAMENTARY panel has proposed increasing the ‘line of basic life needs’ for a four-member Bahraini family to BD659 to cope with the soaring prices of commodities.
MP Ahmed Al Salloom, who chairs the parliamentary probe committee into citizens’ low standards of living, has called on the Social Development Ministry to adopt a new National Poverty Line in accordance with Bahrain’s socio-economic conditions, rather than rely on international benchmarks and indicators.
The line of basic life needs for Bahraini families of six members and above, currently being implemented by the ministry following a study in 2013, stands at BD336.
Mr Al Salloom said the amount was insufficient for a family and that the committee has come up with several recommendations to improve citizens’ lives, which will be on the agenda of Parliament when it reconvenes for the new legislative session.
The MP, who also heads the Strategic Thought bloc, asserted that all proposals formulated by the panel were practical and applicable, and would not incur additional burden on the state budget by increasing expenditures.
“They will also not affect government’s commitments to the fiscal balance programme,” he added, in an interview to our sister paper Akhbar Al Khaleej.
The GDN earlier reported that the committee has reached 23 conclusions and 35 recommendations to tackle the issues causing a fall in the standards of living. This followed intensive inspection visits to markets, shopping centres and supply sources, besides expert studies on the cost of living, spending and savings.
Mr Al Salloom said the committee has urged the Social Development Ministry to study the possibility of adopting a national poverty line that is consistent with Bahrain’s socio-economic conditions.
“We should not follow the international indicators, as according to them, there is no poverty in Bahrain,” he said.
Social Development Minister Osama Al Asfoor had earlier told MPs that 17,430 Bahrainis were living below the current line of basic life needs, and that a new benchmark was being studied.
Mr Al Salloom further added that the committee has stressed the need to reconsider the classification of levels of disabilities to include citizens with moderate impairments.
It has urged the Social Insurance Organisation to adopt an allowance for retirees whose pensions range between BD1,500 to BD2,500 as they do not benefit from any privileges.
The panel has recommended the establishment of a fund to support citizens suffering from ill health so that they can avail treatment at private hospitals when options are unavailable in government facilities.
“The prices of food commodities have soared over the last 10 years, while salaries have largely remained the same,” Mr Al Salloom claimed.
“While conducting the probe, we discovered a list of food items that are not exempted from Value-Added-Tax, including bananas, whose prices keep increasing,” he added.
“The committee has stressed the need to treat food traders on par with industrial enterprises with regards to electricity and water tariffs.
“The government should also come up with a benchmark price list for basic commodities and ensure price hikes, if any, are implemented with prior approval from the Industry and Commerce Ministry.”
The panel has also adopted a number of legislative amendments which will enable charity societies to boost their financial resources, Mr Al Salloom added. It has also called for the scope of the anti-inflation allowance to be expanded to include Bahrainis working in the private sector, which will help narrow the wage gap between both sectors, he added.
The GDN earlier reported that Mr Al Salloom had called for new restrictions, including a minimum capital per business, to be imposed on expatriates wishing to obtain or renew commercial registrations (CRs) in Bahrain. He said allowing expats to obtain or renew CRs openly without restrictions damaged the local market and nationals’ ability to have successful businesses and sources of living.
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