JEDDAH, 25 August 2004 — Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, has ordered implementation of a number of charitable projects including housing units, health centers, desalination plants and village roads in various parts of the country.
A committee, chaired by Prince Khaled ibn Sultan, assistant minister of defense and aviation for military affairs, has been set up to assess the requirements of people in various regions.
“Prince Sultan wants to establish durable charitable projects for the benefit of a large number of people, especially in villages,” Al-Watan Arabic daily quoted Prince Khaled as saying while presiding over the committee’s first meeting.
The new charitable projects include establishment of roads linking villages and townships, sinking of wells, ambulances, distribution of scholarships and financial assistance to people burdened with debts and prisoners as well as their families, the paper said.
Meanwhile, Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed has set up a special committee to oversee Prince Sultan charitable projects in the region. The governor has asked the panel to short-list 10 important projects in the areas of health, education, social care, water and roads.
In a related development, Prince Abdul Majeed unveiled plans to establish model housing units for those Saudis whose applications for real estate loans have been sanctioned, Al-Nadwah newspaper said.
The paper said the Makkah Regional Council was weighing the project to help citizens own houses without a long wait. The governor announced the plan while meeting with prominent personalities at Safa Palace in Makkah on Monday.
