The ration card system was adopted in Iraq after the UN Security Council imposed economic sanctions on Iraq following the invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
With independent figures indicating that 27% of the Iraqi population lives below the poverty line, the ration card remains for many an important source of economic relief.
In the 2010 federal budget, close to $2.9 billion was allocated to the ration card scheme which had cost the country more than $3.1 billion in 2009.
The system has faced increasing criticism in a number of Iraqi provinces where distribution of the items covered by the scheme is often delayed or incomplete and in some parts of the country, the scheme has stopped functioning altogether.
The delivery of the ration card items was delayed this year in most provinces for reasons described by the Trade ministry as "technical".
Protests breaking out across Iraq in recent weeks have focused on poor public services, rising unemployment and cuts to the ration card system, all contributing to an overall slump in living standards for many Iraqi citizens.
The Regions Development Committee in parliament announced earlier this year that $4.5 billion has been allocated to the Trade Ministry within the 2011 budget to meet the provision of the ration card items so there are no valid excuses to delay the delivery of those items to Iraqi citizens.
(Source: AKnews)
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