Iraq to scrap subsidized food rations by June

Ali Jawad, Azzaman

The government has decided to end the rationing food program which has staved millions of Iraqis from starvation. The decision, the government said, was in line with the obligations it has made to the World Bank. The food rationing system was started by former leader Saddam Hussein to offset the hardships emanating from U.N. trade sanctions. For nearly 13 years, the program continued without hiccups with the United Nations praising it as the world’s largest and most effective relief effort. But the program run into serious trouble since U.S. troops landed in Baghdad. The volume of rations was slashed several times and food failed to reach many beneficiaries... continua / continued