Iraq starts largest social survey campaign

 Iraq starts largest social survey campaign

Displaced Iraqis. Photo: AP

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi government launched on Sunday the largest social survey campaign with the participation of two thousand social workers from the Social Protection Authority in the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, according to a press statement issued by the Prime Minister’s press office.

According to the priorities stated in the government program regarding supporting the vulnerable and poor segments of the society, alleviating their suffering, and providing them with decent means of living, the campaign is launched under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, the statement mentioned.

The campaign aims to review nearly 1.75 million cases of families applied online for welfare social assistance, the statement explained.

The launch of the survey campaign comes in parallel with the completed data entered of more than 1.5 million families covered by the social protection network program aiming to increase the food rations approved by the Council of Ministers, the statement clarified.

Those in need will be provided with food rations starting this month, the statement confirmed.

These efforts demonstrate the government’s commitment to combating poverty and addressing the effects of economic crises, the statement added.

The number of poor people in Iraq, the oil-rich Arab country, reached 11 million, representing about 25 percent of the total population of 42 million, according to official statistics.

About three million, out of nine million Iraqi deserving assistance, receive monthly financial grants from the government, which cannot provide all the poor in the society because of the insufficient allocations.