His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday directed the government to allocate JD20 million to benefit underprivileged families that receive national assistance in a bid to improve their living standards.
The King issued the directives during a meeting to discuss procedures taken by the government to tackle poverty and support farmers and disadvantaged segments.
The largest possible section of underprivileged families should benefit from the funds through programmes to be executed by the ministries of social development, labour and health, under which unemployed citizens will be recruited and provided with medical insurance, the King said.
His Majesty also directed the government to exempt small farmers from the interest of loans, which they had borrowed from the Agricultural Credit Corporation, in a bid to enable them to survive the difficult conditions the agricultural sector is going through.
The King underlined the need to pay more attention to the agricultural sector, in light of the drought the Kingdom is undergoing which has afflicted damage to farmers' output.
During the meeting, attended by Prime Minister Nader Dahabi, Royal Court Chief Bassem Awadallah and several ministers, the King expressed appreciation for the efforts exerted by the Ministry of Social Development to build an integral database on the status of poverty in the Kingdom.
King Abdullah emphasized that steps should be taken to enhance the Social Safety Net, a relief programme targeting needy families. In this regard, the King instructed the government to increase monthly stipends to families which receive assistance from the National Aid Fund (NAF).
Expressing the government's commitment to implement the Royal directives to assist the needy, Dahabi said programmes and projects to stand up to poverty and to build people's capacity and self-reliance are a top priority.
He also stressed that the government already adopts projects to support small farmers.
Social Development Minister Hala Latouf highlighted the steps taken by the ministry and NAF to combat poverty, taking into account the current circumstances created by the rise in fuel prices and its fallout on the living standards.
For his part, Agriculture Minister Muzahim Muhaisin briefed the meeting on the ministry's projects to back small farmers and the poor rural families through compensating those whose crops suffered as a result of frost, besides encouraging cultivating fodder and cereals.
He also referred to the ministry's projects seeking to improve and diversify rural families' sources of income.
The Ministry of Agriculture is currently working to endorse legislation related to this sector, including the law on the Jordan Chamber of Agriculture and a fund to manage agricultural mishaps, the minister said.