CAIRO - Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri's newly formed government has been assigned to take on a wide array of tasks aimed at restoring security to the nation's streets, controlling prices, combatting unemployment, helping the victims of the revolution and their families, and removing any obstacles impeding the progress of investment, and developing the state machinery. Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the chairman of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), has declared that the Ganzouri Government's policy should involve a programme for restoring security as well as achieving comprehensive development by upgrading performance throughout the governorates from the smallest hamlets to the largest cities. Following the January 25 Revolution, the nation has witnessed a surge in violent and non-violent crime rates. Newly named Interior Minister Major General Mohamed Ibrahim Youssef has pledged to restore confidence in the police and urged the people to welcome the reformed police force back to the streets. The National Salvation Government has also pledged to exert more efforts for overcoming the problem of unemployment through providing more jobs for the youth in the public and private sectors as well as offering theyoung people more training and rehabilitation opportunities. A Government formed committee will supervise the implementation of these measures. In a related development, the Minister of tourism Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour told The Egyptian Gazette by phone last night that tourism is bouncing back despite all the challenges it is facing at the present stage. "We are ready to face the challenges and the tourism sector will regain its strength to restore its pre-January 25 level," he said. In addition, to implement public utilities projects, the Government will work on maintaining the stability of food prices and basic commodities. Meanwhile, the Ministers of Supply and Oil will announce an all-out joint programme to solve an acute shortage of butane gas cylinders, predominantly used for cooking throughout Egypt, which has hit the nation during the past few weeks. It was decided that the police and army would be deployed to protect deliveries of the subsidised butane gas cylinders after shortages sparked thefts and countrywide protests. The cylinders officially sell for five Egyptian pounds thanks to the State subsidies, but have been fetching up to LE50 pounds on the black market, the consumers complained. Social Solidarity Minister Gouda Abdel Khaleq stated that the army,police, Petroleum Ministry and local governments have declared that they were co-ordinating their efforts so as to secure butane deliveries to local distribution centres. Egypt's cooking gas production has increased by 31 per cent from a year earlier to 1.3 million canisters a day, the minister added. In the meantime, the Ganzouri Government has been requested to identify the steps that need to be taken to implement a comprehensive programme for the modernisation of the Egyptian industry and villages, as well to design a programme aimed at enhancing the Egyptian economy capability to bear foreign pressures, expand development capacity, provide job opportunities and enhance social development capability, increasing the number of beneficiaries. Meanwhile, new Culture Minister Shaker Abdel-Hamid stressed the necessity for cultural organisations to address young and ordinary people. "Today we can't separate ourselves from the Egyptian street or keep on hiding in our ivory towers. We need to be more engaged with every stratum of society," said Abdel-Hamid, who added that, in the future, more attention will be given to young people through meetings and activities. He also said that a new committee of young people will be established in the Supreme Council of Culture. Abdel-Hamid explained that he has already discussed with new Minister of Education Gamal Al-Arabi how they can work together to spread a culture of creativity and innovation among schoolchildren by using accessible books and holding competitions. He also stressed that, in the coming days, he will continue working on some urgent projects, including securing the nation's museums, and developing the Authority for Cultural Centres and the Fine Arts Academy.
