Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday directed his government to take several urgent measures to confront the repercussions of the global economic crisis on the Egyptian citizen.
This came during Sisi’s meeting with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali al-Moselhi, Minister of the Interior Mahmoud Tawfiq, Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait, and Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine al-Kabbaj.
Presidential spokesperson Bassam Rady said that the meeting followed up the efforts of social protection measures to confront the repercussions of the current global economic crisis.
Rady said that the president directed the expansion of social protection measures by applying the following:
- Increasing the number of families benefiting from the “Takaful and Karama” program, by including one million additional families in the program, bringing the number of citizens benefiting to more than 20 million citizens nationwide.
- Disbursing exceptional aid to about nine million families for the next six months, at a total cost of about one billion pounds per month to the most needy families, and pensioners who receive a monthly pension of less than LE 2,500, as well as workers in the state’s administrative apparatus who receive a salary of less than LE 2,700 per month.
- Enhancing food security for poor families, mothers and children, by expanding the delivery of boxes of subsidized food commodities at half the cost, at a rate of six million box per month, to be distributed through the armed forces outlets.
- The Ministry of Religious Endowments, in partnership with the Ministry of Social Solidarity, will distribute sacrifice meat throughout the year.
The Ministry of Finance shall provide the necessary financial resources in this regard, amounting to about LE11 billion pounds.
Minister Kabbaj reviewed the social programs currently offered by the state, the most important of which are subsidizing bread, food commodities, medium cash support, health programs, insurance and pension funds, and housing support.
The total spending on these activities from the state’s general budget has increased over the past years, reaching nearly LE 500 billion in the current fiscal year’s budget.
Kabbaj also presented the development of the “Takaful and Karama” program over the past six years, especially with regard to nearly doubling its budget.
The Presidential spokesperson added that President Sisi also followed up on the current situation of the stock of basic strategic commodities, especially grains, cereals and oils.
Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali al-Moselhi explained that the stock of these commodities is sufficient for a period of seven months.
He also pointed out the state’s development of its storage capabilities through the establishment of the new silos system enabled the state to confront emergencies and provide the necessary needs during coronavirus pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.
