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Khasawneh meets with dignitaries in Tafileh 

By JT - Sep 24,2022 - Last updated at Sep 24,2022

Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh speaks during a meeting with dignitaries and representatives of the local community in Tafileh on Saturday (Petra photo)

AMMAN — Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh on Saturday met with dignitaries and representatives of the local community in Tafileh during a visit to the governorate to learn about citizens' needs, in implementation of Royal directives to improve the standard of living and services.

Khasawneh, during a meeting held at the Tafileh Technical University, expressed hope that the newly-opened Tafileh Public Hospital would help in improving healthcare provision and serve as a base for medical tourism with Tafileh's Afra Hot Springs and other tourist spots.

Reviewing the comprehensive modernisation programme, including the political and economic fields, as well as the public sector, the prime minister said that the economic vision aims to achieve a 5.5-per cent economic growth and generate one million jobs over 10 years, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The legislation related to the system of political modernisation that aims to realise partisan governments in the future has been completed, he noted.

The unemployment rate in Tafileh is high like in other governorates, he said, highlighting the government's efforts to bring investments to Tafileh, some 180km southwest of Amman.

He noted that part of the challenges facing the Kingdom are tied to the Kingdom's firm stances towards Arab issues, foremost of which is the Palestinian cause, Jordan's central issue.

He also reiterated the Kingdom's support for the Palestinians to meet their legitimate rights for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The government has also completed a draft law regulating the investment environment, giving incentives to investments outside the capital, including tax exemptions to help local residents find jobs and reduce the unemployment rate.  

The prime minister directed the Ministry of Public Works and Housing to complete the King's Highway, notably revamping five kilometres of the road over the next year, and another five kilometres in 2024, to enhance tourism in the southern region.

He also tasked the Ministry of Public Works and Housing to carry out street lighting work for the Hasa-Tafileh road, with an estimated value of JD1.5 million, part of the 2023 budget.

He also noted that the Cabinet had previously granted incentives to those wishing to invest in the industrial city in Tafileh, including an electricity subsidy of 75 per cent for SMEs for the first five years, 50 per cent for the next three years and 15 per cent for the next two years.

The decision also included the inclusion of the industrial city in Tafileh in the productive branches, supporting local workers through the payment of half of the salaries of the Jordanian workers, as well as granting them JD25 for transport, JD25 for social security contributions, and the inclusion of investments in the National Employment Programme for five years.

The incentives also included subsidising the cost of container handling of goods manufactured in the Tafileh Industrial City, particularly those with Jordanian labour force participation of 50 per cent for a period of five years.

He also said that allocations of JD150,000 were made to Emaar Tafileh  Foundation, JD150,000 to Emaar Basira Foundation, besides an additional amount of JD250,000 to the Tafileh Municipality

The prime minister also highlighted the Ministry of Local Administration's efforts to establish a permanent exhibition to showcase products by rural women.

 

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