Bahrain has set up a high-powered committee to monitor the implementation of its blueprint for growth, a report said.

HRH Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa will outline the blueprint of government plans for the next four years at a rare joint parliament and Shura Council session on Tuesday.

The committee will supervise specialised sub-groups that will focus on individual programmes, according to a report in our sister paper Akhbar Al Khaleej.

The move is part of the Premier's keenness to discuss the programmes with parliament and ensure their timely implementation, the report said.

For the first time in Bahrain's history, MPs have the right to reject the blueprint - and if parliament rejects it three times, His Majesty King Hamad then has the right to dissolve either parliament or the Cabinet.

Parliament chairman Ahmed Al Mulla said this was an historic step, a first in the region and the Arab world.

The unprecedented step is the result of National Dialogue, he said.

Dr Al Mulla said it will be a major challenge for parliament to assess programmes objectively to optimise them to meet citizens' aspirations.

Parliament will also focus on the report by the National Audit Office and oil price volatility, he said.

Dr Al Mulla stressed that parliament "will be keen on maintaining economic reforms approved in previous budgets and keep working at improving the standard of living in Bahrain". – TradeArabia News Service