Latest news with #Fardan
Daily Tribune
28-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Tribune
MPs propose affordable ‘land and loan' payment scheme for Bahrainis earning less than BD800
A push to hand low-income Bahrainis plots and loans has been launched in Parliament, as MPs warned that thousands earning under BD800 are slipping through the cracks despite royal orders to expand housing. Led by MP Hanan Mohammed Fardan and backed by four others, the proposal seeks to introduce a new service called 'Land with Loan', aimed at families whose incomes fall between BD400 and BD800 a month. Applicants would be ranked by the date of their original housing request. 'In light of the Royal Directives to provide 50,000 housing units to strengthen social stability and housing fairness, it is regrettable that the schemes introduced in recent years, particularly Mazaya, Tas'heel, and Tas'heel Plus, do not cover a wide number of citizens earning less than BD800,' said MP Fardan. She added: 'Limiting these programmes to a certain group clashes with the Constitution and breaches Clause (w) of Article Nine, which makes clear that the State must work to provide housing for citizens with limited income.' Service The service would give families land alongside a suitable loan, helping those who cannot otherwise afford to benefit from government schemes. Fardan said it would also help the Housing Ministry reach its goal of meeting the royal pledge to build 50,000 units. She argued that setting up 'Land with Loan' would help clear the backlog of old applications and make better use of the vacant plots already in the Ministry's hands, particularly in the newly built towns where construction can start without delay. 'Introducing this service would not only ease the burden of delayed applications but also allow the Ministry to move its resources around with more fairness and sense,' she said. The lawmaker described the proposal as a fair and proper answer to 'the genuine needs of a wide group of citizens', adding that it would help push Bahrain's housing efforts in a steadier, more lasting direction.
Daily Tribune
27-03-2025
- Daily Tribune
Fake ‘Quranic healer' jailed for land and money scam
A self-styled charlatan who claimed he could lift curses with 'blessed' honey and water has been jailed for five years after persuading a Bahraini couple to hand over their land, cars, cash and gold. The man, in his thirties, posed as a Quranic healer. He convinced his victims their property was bewitched and had to be transferred to his name to break the spell. Spiritual treatment He also demanded BD19,000 for supposed spiritual treatment, took gold jewellery worth BD7,000 from the wife, and drove off with two vehicles. Lawyer Zahraa Fardan, representing the victims, said she filed the laundering case precisely because the land had been sold and the money disappeared. 'He took the land, sold it, and the money vanished,' she said. 'The car in his name was actually paid for by my client.' Fardan said Public Prosecution accepted the conviction but objected to the seizure of the BD41,700 and the vehicles, arguing they belonged to the victims and should not be taken. The court agreed and cancelled the confiscation. The Appeals Court upheld his conviction for laundering the money he gained through fraud, and fined him BD50,000. Ruling However, judges cancelled an earlier ruling that had ordered the confiscation of BD41,700.411 and the two cars, deciding instead that they rightfully belonged to the victims. A separate civil case has been referred to determine compensation. As reported by The Daily Tribune last November, the case first came to light last year when the victims described how they were duped into believing their land was cursed and could only be 'cleansed' by handing it over.
Daily Tribune
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Daily Tribune
MP urges government to provide pardoned Bahrainis with housing allowance to help integrate them into society
MP Hanan Fardan has urged the government to support Bahrainis who have been pardoned or are serving sentences under the Alternative Sentencing Programme, insisting they be given their fair share of housing support. ' These young people shouldn't be left waiting in uncertainty,' she said. 'They need to be brought back into the fold properly. That means unfreezing their housing applications and making sure they receive their housing allowances like everyone else. Right now, they're feeling shut out.' Job opportunities Fardan pointed out that His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, had already directed authorities to see that this group is looked after and given job opportunities. She called on the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning to work with other departments to sort out the issue for good. 'They're not asking for handouts — just what's fair,' she said. 'Their housing allowance should be backpaid like it is for other Bahrainis. They are grateful to His Majesty the King for the pardon that reunited them with their families. Now, they need the chance to get on with their lives.'
Gulf Insider
30-01-2025
- Business
- Gulf Insider
Bahrain: Ban Proposed On Forcing Women To Stand At Work
A single-MP legislation to stop bosses from forcing female staff to stand all day has just hit Parliament. MP Hanan Fardan, who put forward this amendment to the Labour Law for the Private Sector, says the current rules amount to a kind of servitude that takes advantage of women's urgent search for paid work. Her draft law would require businesses to provide seating, upending a workplace norm that, in her words, 'exploits our sisters and daughters' who have little choice but to endure the strain for a wage. 'The 'you stay standing' rule pushed by some businesses is servitude against our sisters and daughters, squeezing them through their dire need for a job, and we have to put an end to it,' She tied the proposal to a bigger move to keep women in the workforce, saying that a simple seat can mean the difference between exhaustion and steady work. 'Breaking up long hours on your feet does not just ease the body—it steadies the mind and lifts output,' she said. The submission comes with a call for shops and businesses to display a copy of women's work regulations where they can be clearly seen, giving workers the means to know their rights. It also demands strict steps to prevent mistreatment, including harassment and aggression in the workplace, pushing for a setting where women can work without the creeping fear of being undermined or harmed. Fardan argued that fair work conditions for women make workplaces run better, keeping staff steady and bosses happy. 'Giving women the means to work well is not a burden—it is sound practice,' she said.
Daily Tribune
29-01-2025
- Business
- Daily Tribune
Ban Proposed on Forcing Women to Stand at Work
A single-MP legislation to stop bosses from forcing female staff to stand all day has just hit Parliament. MP Hanan Fardan, who put forward this amendment to the Labour Law for the Private Sector, says the current rules amount to a kind of servitude that takes advantage of women's urgent search for paid work. Her draft law would require businesses to provide seating, upending a workplace norm that, in her words, 'exploits our sisters and daughters' who have little choice but to endure the strain for a wage. 'The 'you stay standing' rule pushed by some businesses is servitude against our sisters and daughters, squeezing them through their dire need for a job, and we have to put an end to it,' She tied the proposal to a bigger move to keep women in the workforce, saying that a simple seat can mean the difference between exhaustion and steady work. 'Breaking up long hours on your feet does not just ease the body—it steadies the mind and lifts output,' she said. The submission comes with a call for shops and businesses to display a copy of women's work regulations where they can be clearly seen, giving workers the means to know their rights. It also demands strict steps to prevent mistreatment, including harassment and aggression in the workplace, pushing for a setting where women can work without the creeping fear of being undermined or harmed. Fardan argued that fair work conditions for women make workplaces run better, keeping staff steady and bosses happy. 'Giving women the means to work well is not a burden—it is sound practice,' she said.
