Sunday 12 / January / 2025
Muscat: The Diwan of Royal Court issued a statement reading as follows:
“Based on the Royal keenness of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to provide the means of a dignified life for the people of Oman and His Majesty’s awareness about their needs, and, in celebration of the 5thanniversary of His Majesty’s Accession Day, which falls on 11 January, His Majesty the Sultan dedicated a Royal grant worth more thanOMR178 million to support the social and economic aspects of some segments of society. The Royal grant, which benefits more than 100,000 citizens, includes the following:
1. Increasing the financial allocations of the Housing Assistance Programme for the year 2025.
2. Boosting the portfolio of the Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises Development.
3. The government shall bear the remaining amounts of some categories of loans, as follows:
(A) Housing loans from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, Oman Housing Bank and the Ministry of Defence for those who receive monthly salaries or pensions of RO 400 or less.
(B) Housing loans from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning and Oman Housing Bank for those whose services were terminated from the private sector and whose monthly salaries were RO 400 or less.
(C) Loans for stalled/closed projects that were financed by Al Raffd Fund (formerly).
(D) A number of stalled/closed project loans that were financed from the government loan portfolio at the Development Bank.
4. Extending social and insurance protection to citizens during the year 2025 by continuing to pay social security pensions (previously) during the current year. Accordingly, the relevant government departments will study the cases eligible for the family income support benefit within the social protection system.
5. Disbursing an additional pension to those entitled to a retirement pension from among those whose pensions are less than RO 350.
6. Establishing marriage funds in all governorates of the Sultanate of Oman to help those wishing to get married, besides lending them government support in accordance with a regulation to be announced by the authorities concerned.
The Diwan of Royal Court prayed to Allah the Almighty to bestow bounties on His Majesty the Sultan and to bring back this auspicious occasion over and over again at a time His Majesty and the people of Oman enjoy good health and wellbeing.
