Campaign launched to rectify social welfare abuses

BAGHDAD, January 10 – The Iraqi Minister of Labor, Ahmed Al-Asadi, on Wednesday announced a campaign aimed at addressing abuses within the country’s social welfare system. The announcement, made during a press conference at the ministry’s headquarters, highlighted efforts to remove ineligible individuals from the system and improve service delivery.

Al-Asadi revealed that over 63,000 people have been newly added to the social welfare system under its sixth phase, and investigations are ongoing for over two million individuals. He emphasized the need for families receiving social welfare benefits to ensure their children’s return to school.

The Minister also reported significant progress in various welfare initiatives. Over two thousand individuals have completed livelihood support procedures, with financial allocations now available for them.

In the health sector, the number of people covered by health insurance within the social welfare system has risen to 185,000. Additionally, Al-Asadi announced the completion of selecting beneficiaries for the food basket program, which now encompasses over six million individuals.

In an effort to streamline processes and enhance accountability, the “Midhallati [My umbrella]” platform has been reinstated. This is part of a broader campaign to recover benefits from individuals who have been unfairly exploiting the social welfare system. According to Al-Asadi, thousands of such cases have been identified.