Ministry of Commerce: 40 Million Benefit from Ration Card, 90% of Families Unblocked

The Ministry of Commerce revealed that the number of individuals covered by the ration card system has reached approximately 40 million. Simultaneously, the ministry is gradually rolling out the "Wakeeli" application nationwide this month, following its successful trial in several areas of the capital. Talib Hassan Ni'ma, Director of the Planning and Follow-up Department at the Ministry, explained that the ration card beneficiaries, numbering nearly 40 million, can now utilize all electronic services launched by the Ministry via their smartphones. These services include transfer operations, splitting, changing agents, or adding new family members. Ni'ma indicated that the Ministry will progressively implement the "Wakeeli" application across the country this month, building on its successful pilot launch at the Al-Mutanabbi Ration Branch, which serves the Mansour, Yarmouk, Qadisiya, and Abu Ghraib areas within Baghdad's Karkh side. The application allows agents to view the number of individuals under their agency, additions, and immediate splitting or transfer operations. It also notifies citizens via text messages about the arrival of food supplies or any updates, and documents the receipt process through incoming notifications. He pointed out that the new application will enable monitoring teams and oversight bodies to swiftly intervene and address any issues that arise. Ni'ma affirmed that the Ministry will complete the full suite of ration services after the widespread adoption of this application. In a related context, Ni'ma confirmed that the Ministry is coordinating with relevant parties to finalize the process of lifting restrictions on ration cards for families of security forces personnel, an initiative that commenced this year. He reported that 90 percent of those covered have had their restrictions lifted, with a small percentage still undergoing processing. Ni'ma mentioned that several personnel had complained to the Ministry about not receiving their ration shares despite the removal of restrictions. After studying their names, it became clear that the three security institutions involved in the procedures—the Ministries of Interior and Defense, and the Counter-Terrorism Service—had not sent their files to the Ministry. Consequently, these institutions were contacted to forward the lists of names to the department, paving the way for necessary actions. He added that personnel whose salaries exceed two million Iraqi dinars are not included in the restriction-lifting procedures, with the exception of those whose salaries fall below this amount. Ni'ma urged any personnel eligible for restriction removal who have not received their food basket due to agent negligence to report such cases via the Ministry's hotlines, to enable legal action against those responsible. Finally, Ni'ma noted the impending meeting with stakeholders to finalize the necessary steps for optimally completing this file in the coming days, and to work on removing obstacles hindering the completion of restriction-lifting procedures, ensuring that ration shares reach all eligible recipients.