Harnessing waste of supplies
news has recently spread on social media about the government’s plan to overhaul the way the supply company, responsible for providing subsidized food to citizens, operates.
the idea is to shift away from the traditional method of distribution and instead deliver a more limited range of products directly to citizens’ homes, based on orders submitted through the sahel program.
this program allows for more accurate tracking of eligible family members and their monthly share of materials. notably, the percentage of non-kuwaiti citizens and workers involved in this process is almost half of the country’s population.
undoubtedly, the proposed shift could bring significant benefits, such as reducing waste, cutting down on the number of company branches and eliminating excessive paperwork and routine operations.
however, the plan would also require the acquisition and management of a fleet of vehicles to deliver materials to over two hundred thousand homes and apartments in a timely manner.
additionally, there would be logistical challenges such as securing parking spaces for the vehicles, managing their maintenance and covering their insurance premiums.
monitoring their usage would also require a substantial workforce of employees and technicians, many of whom would likely only be employed on a temporary basis, adding to the overall cost and inefficiency.
therefore, a more efficient alternative could be to streamline the process by allowing citizens to electronically request their materials and then select a specific time to pick them up in person or send a representative to collect the order, without the need for a lengthy wait. this method would eliminate the need for a costly transport fleet and associated infrastructure.
the issue of waste and the depletion of state resources remain unresolved, largely due to the current inability to properly manage the system.
running a company of the scale of ‘al-tamween’ shouldn’t be more complicated than managing major food companies that deal with hundreds of products and yet they don’t face the same issues.
since its inception, the catering company has been criticized by various groups, including those who want its operations regulated and those who are directly affected by its existence.
however, the company has often chosen not to respond, which doesn’t necessarily indicate that everything is running smoothly.
in fact, a report from the ministry of commerce revealed that 61,000 ration cards were cancelled within two months, a clear sign of waste.
how did such a large number accumulate without being cancelled earlier and how can we be sure that these cards weren’t exploited before being revoked?
