Doha

The draft state general budget for the financial year 2016 aims to diversify the economy, support the private sector, ensure completion of major projects and control inflation, Qatar News Agency (QNA) said.

"The Cabinet endorsed the draft state general budget for the financial year 2016, draft law on ratifying the budget, and to refer to the Advisory Council all the main chapters and sectors of the draft budget and the draft law on its ratification,” HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Mahmoud said.

The meeting was chaired by HE the Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani.

The draft budget aims to achieve sustainable development in all pillars of Qatar National Vision 2030 that include economic, social, human and environment development.

It also aims to ensure the completion of major projects in the basic sectors of health, education and infrastructure, and projects related to the 2022 World Cup.

Additionally, the draft budget targets the support and enhancement of the performance of non-petroleum sectors as part of the government’s efforts to diversify the economy and limit the reliance on oil and gas revenues.

It also aims to expand the participation of the private sector in the different economic activities and provide a convenient environment for attracting investment to the different economic sectors so as to decrease the dependency on government spending.

The draft budget aims as well to maintain the country’s high credit rating and continue to control inflation through constant coordination between financial and monetary policies in cooperation with Qatar Central Bank.

Last week’s rain caused only limited damage in Qatar and reports carried in the local and international media “were not accurate and included a lot of unfounded exaggeration and rumours,” the Cabinet said.

HE al-Mahmoud said the Cabinet reviewed a report from authorities concerned about the rainfall last week and the limited damage it caused and the measures taken to address any revealed deficiencies.

The Cabinet reviewed the quick action and procedures taken to avoid the recurrence of such damage in the future.

“Reviews proved that domestic and foreign media reports about the size of damage caused by the rain were not accurate and included a lot of unfounded exaggeration and rumours," the Cabinet stressed.

The Cabinet hailed the swift action taken by relevant state bodies to address the effects of the rain, reduce the damage and restore the situation back to normal in a short time. It also praised the awareness of citizens and their co-operation with the authorities. It also reiterated the directives of HE the Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior to refer all authorities and companies involved in projects that failed the rain test to legal action, QNA added.