His Majesty King Abdullah said Thursday a Royal pardon of convicts and detainees from all over the Kingdom.
King Abdullah made his remarks at a meeting with over 2,000 notables and representatives from the Maan governorate, where he emphasised that he is aware that Maan is in need of care and attention and donated JD15 million for the creation of a military hospital.
The King said the development of Maan, some 220km to the south of Amman, is a top priority and directed the government to address the governorate’s main needs in health and education and study how best to meet the governorate’s other necessities as soon as possible.
Instructing the government to implement development projects that alleviate unemployment among Maan youth, address poverty and improve general living conditions in Maan, King Abdullah said he will personally follow up on the implementation of the projects in the area.
King Abdullah also urged the private sector to be more socially responsible by assuming a more active role in development and helping alleviate poverty and unemployment.
The King stressed that Jordan is moving steadily in the process of political and economic reforms that lead to a positive change. He said Jordan will confront anyone who tampers with its security and stability and will overcome challenges to building the future of the country.
At the meeting, Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit reviewed projects to be implemented in the governorate and measures authorities will take in fulfillment of the King’s directives.
The government, he said, will allocate JD1 million annually for a period of three years to empower underprivileged areas in the governorate.
The premier added that the government will allocate JD1 million for soft loans to fund income-generating projects, in addition to JD2 million for the implementation of programmes to train and finance productive projects in Maan.
Bakhit said the Jordan Phosphate Mines Company will extend JD2 million over the next two years to implement projects in the fields of health, education and youth and train 200 young people from the governorate to be employed by the company, which will also provide 10 scholarships for excelling students from the governorate to pursue higher education.
The premier added that he had been instructed by the King to study on the possibility of distributing residential plots of land for Maan residents, especially youth.
Bakhit added that the government will also immediately start studying the creation of the promised military hospital in Maan Governorate.
The government, he added, will start building three schools this year in Maan, noting that the officials also are working on a project to gradually expand Maan Public Hospital.
Stressing support for Maan Development Zone, Bakhit said the zone attracted JD94 million in investments, adding that about 7,000 jobs will be created during the next 20 years.
Maan representatives expressed their allegiance to the Hashemites and said national unity was imperative at this stage.
“In spite of the political, economic and social challenges the Kingdom and the region are going through and in spite of the scarce resources, we are confident that will overcome these challenges. Jordan is an oasis of security and safety and we will work on preserving this and defending its unity,” Sheikh Hesham Sharari said during the meeting.
Senator Tawfiq Kreishan also stressed Maan’s keenness to preserve national unity, which he described as “the main asset of Jordan”.
“The opposition under the rule of the Hashemites lives in peace and security,” said the senator, stressing that Jordan will be able to overcome all challenges with the determination of all.
Also at the meeting, MP Khalid Fanatseh reviewed the governorate’s needs, calling for the creation of approximately 1,500 jobs to help alleviate youth unemployment.