Saudi Shura Council Urges Environmental Policy Impact Assessment, Insurance Expansion

Saudi Arabia's Shura Council has called on the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture to assess the impact of its policies on farmers' livelihoods and well-being. The council also urged the ministry to localize the domestic seed industry for strategic crops.

In a broader session, the council pushed for enhancing the mandatory insurance system, expanding its application to high-risk activities to improve risk management. It also recommended developing a comprehensive operational model for multimodal transport, integrating services like buses, metros, and ride-sharing, while leveraging big data and AI for traffic prediction.

Further recommendations included developing the health insurance pricing framework, linking it to claims data and usage behavior, and transitioning vehicle repair claims from cash compensation to quality-based repairs. The council also reviewed annual reports from the Ministry of Education, the Food and Drug Authority, and other key institutions, engaging in a specific debate regarding the Ministry of Education's workplace environment and classroom management practices.