The President of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad, has issued a decree providing a financial grant to all employees in government institutions and retirees.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that the grant was issued through legislative decree number “17” today, Monday, June 10, and stipulated a one-time financial grant of 300,000 Syrian pounds for all employees within Syrian territories, both civilians and military personnel.

The grant includes all employees in ministries, administrations, public institutions, companies and establishments in the public sector, and all administrative units, according to SANA.

Based on the exchange rate of the Syrian pound against the US dollar at the time of writing this news, the financial grant is estimated to be 20 USD, according to the currency monitoring website “The S-P Today.”

Retirees also benefit from the grant, which is distributed according to the laws and regulations applicable to them, along with those with partial disability pensions who are not employed and do not receive a pension from any other insurance entity.

According to SANA, the grant specified in the legislative decree is exempt from income tax on salaries and wages and any other deductions.

This grant is similar to the previous one issued last year considering the exchange rate of the Syrian pound against the US dollar. Bashar al-Assad had previously issued a decree in April 2023 for a one-time financial grant of 150,000 Syrian pounds (about 20 USD at the time) for state employees, both civilians and military personnel, and retirees.

Prior to that, on December 15, 2022, another grant was issued by legislative decree for a payout of 100,000 Syrian pounds (about 16.5 USD at the exchange rate at that time), exempted from income tax on salaries and wages and any other deductions, for state employees and retirees.

The areas controlled by the regime are experiencing continuous increases in the prices of food and essential goods, further diminishing the purchasing power of the citizens.

An estimated 16.7 million people in Syria are in need of humanitarian assistance, an increase of 9% compared to 2023, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

According to a statistic released on February 12 by the World Food Programme (WFP) on the number of people suffering from food insecurity in Syria, 80% of Syrians will require some form of humanitarian assistance in 2024.

About 55% of Syria’s population, or 12.9 million people, are suffering from food insecurity, with 3.1 million of them severely food insecure.