Minister of Finance, Ahmed Galal, announced that several Egyptian ministries have agreed to cooperate in developing a unified database for the beneficiaries of subsidies in its different forms and for the smartcard programme. The six ministries participating in this project will be the Ministry of Finance (MOF), Ministry of Petroleum (MOP) ,Ministry of Communication and Information Technology(MCIT), Ministry of State of Administrative Development(MSAD) , Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade(MSIT) and the Ministry of interior(MOI). These latest developments come in light of a meeting held by Galal and attended by the minister of petroleum, Sherif Ismail, minister of communication and information technology, Atef Helmy, and the minister of state of administrative development, Hany Mahmoud. The meeting aimed to discuss developments in the implementation procedures for rationalising energy subsidies and the reforms needed to ensure the availability of petroleum products on a regular basis in the market through speeding up the issuance of the smartcard programme. In its latest announcement the Ministry of Finance said that the prices of fuel and diesel will remain subsidised for the non-smartcard- holders. The official statement cited sources at the ministry denying the circulating rumours that the prices of fuel will be sold at unsubsidised rates for the non-smartcard-holders; adding that "At the current moment the ministry is doing everything in its power to facilitate the issuance and delivery of the smartcards." Official sources at the ministry added that the ministry is currently studying the second stage of the project.
