Egypt's Local Development Minister said on Friday the ministry's Local Development Fund approved in July loans worth 2.6 million Egyptian pounds ($162,638) to finance 297 small and micro-sized projects in 13 governorates. The main target of the Local Development Fund is to finance several projects to support the households and women in increasing their incomes, Mahmoud Shaarawi added. This target should help in raising the standard of living to the people in rural areas, creating jobs, and lowering the unemployment among the youths and female breadwinners in villages and the neediest areas, he added. The projects were carried out in 13 governorates; namely Minya, Dakahlia, Sharqiya, Kafr el Sheikh, North Sinai, Sohag, Beni Suef, Fayyoum, Menoufia, New Valley, Damietta, Qena, and Assuit.