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Ghani says 90% of population lives below the poverty line
President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday painted a grim picture of the high poverty levels in Afghanistan and said an estimated 90 percent of the population lived below the $2 a day poverty line.
Addressing guests attending the launch of the government’s aid distribution program “Distarkhan-e-Millie”, Ghani said poverty is not an incident, it is a tragedy.
He said a responsible and accountable government takes the pain of its people seriously and acts accordingly.
The president said the accountability method in dealing with the new program will be revised and that it will be monitored so that people get the food packages they need. He also indicated that if mismanagement occurred, the people needed to report it.
Ghani also raised the issue of COVID-19 and praised officials for having raised awareness around the pandemic.
In terms of aid, donated by foreign countries, Ghani said that Afghanistan needed to become self-sufficient in this respect. He did, however, express his appreciation regarding international organizations and countries that had contributed to the program.
Amrullah Saleh, First Vice President, meanwhile thanked Ghani for having made budget adjustments to include the food program.
He said the food distribution programs will be rolled out in two phases; at first in 34 provinces, 123 districts, 12,896 villages, and will reach a total of 1.67 million families.
This phase will cost an estimated US$86 million and packages will include wheat, rice, oil, beans, and hand soap.
Saleh said the second phase would also be carried out in 34 provinces and will take in 235 districts, 21,842 villages, and 2.5 million families.
The budget for phase two would be an estimated US$158 million.
The Ministry of Interior has announced the delivery of several new, modern cars to the General Directorate of Traffic Police, replacing the older fleet that consisted mostly of trucks.
According to a ministry statement, the new vehicles, equipped with special traffic police colors, markings, and modern equipment, are expected to play a key role in maintaining traffic order in cities and on main roads, preventing accidents, and providing faster services to the public.
Azerbaijan has released 14 Afghan nationals from its prisons, Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday.
The ministry said in a statement that the release happened following efforts by Afghanistan’s embassy in Baku.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its appreciation to Azerbaijan and relevant authorities for their cooperation and humanitarian action. It also reaffirmed that the IEA will continue to follow up on and resolve the cases of Afghan prisoners.
Former U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, says Washington is largely satisfied with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) efforts against terrorism, though progress in broader relations remains hindered by the issue of prisoners.
In an interview with NDTV, Khalilzad said the United States views the detention of at least two American citizens in Afghanistan as the primary obstacle to improving ties.
Khalilzad highlighted what he described as a “significant degree of satisfaction” in the U.S. assessment of the IEA’s counterterrorism commitments under the Doha Agreement. He said the IEA continue to fight Daesh, a group they have long considered an enemy. Many Daesh militants, he added, have been pushed out of Afghanistan and are now in Pakistan.
At the same time, Khalilzad said concerns remain regarding human rights and the political role of non-IEA Afghans.
Traffic police receive new cars
Azerbaijan releases 14 Afghan prisoners
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Afghan delegation heads to Turkey for medicine talks
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