At the top of the government's priorities is ensuring that basic commodities will be available to citizens at affordable prices in the current period, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said. The state will work on increasing the quantities of these commodities to maintain appropriate prices, he said in a press statement on Saturday during his visit to Gharbia Governorate where he is following up on the implementation process of several development and service projects. Citizens are suffering from the significant price increases of many basic goods and services over the past period as well as a shortage in subsidised goods, such as rice, oil, and sugar. Inflation rates registered a 1.5% increase in April compared to March, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) website. The government is working to complete all ongoing projects in various provinces in accordance with their timetables which will be in favour of the citizens, according to Ismail. In light of the cabinet's endeavours, an operations room was formed in the information and decision making support centre to follow up on adjusting prices of food commodities in the market and to work on reducing them before Ramadan. Several service projects in different governorates are suffering from a shortfall in funding that has led to the suspension of work. The prime minister confirmed that the government is determined to finish the implementation of the stalled projects in various governorates according to the announced schedules. This contributes to these projects becoming operational in a shorter timeframe and thus improving the level of services provided to citizens. The prime minister and spokesperson for the Council of Ministers Hossam Alquaouih visited the Ahlan Ramadan exhibition held in Tanta to follow up on the status of the availability of basic commodities. Ahlan Ramadan is an initiative launched by the government to set up ports in different governorates to make commodities and food like rice, meat, and sugar available to citizens at subsidised prices before Ramadan. Ismail said the government plans to deliver potable water to about 50% of all Egyptian villages over the next two years to complete the services needed by citizens. All governors need to follow up on the implementation of projects and take necessary actions to link homes to sanitation and potable water networks, he added. source: Daily news Egypt
