The Minister of Planning and Economic Development approves EGP 273 million as an additional boost to complete the projects of the preliminary phase of “A Decent Life”

H.E. Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, agreed to allocate an amount of EGP 273 million, as an additional boost to complete the implementation of the projects of the preliminary phase of the national project for the development of the Egyptian countryside, "A Decent Life", which began in July 2019 and targeted 375 poor villages, with a total number of beneficiaries of 4.7 million citizens.
El-Said affirmed the ministry's keenness to provide financial allocations to complete the projects of the preliminary phase of the initiative, which contributes to improving the quality of life, providing basic services, and human and cultural development in 375 poor villages nationwide.


 El-Said indicated that the allocated amount includes the establishment of 332 "Kitabak kiosks", in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, within the framework of the state's interest in building man, raising his culture and awareness, and localizing knowledge, by providing cultural content suitable for all ages within each village, in addition to allocating EGP 46 million to complete developing the infrastructure work in Assiut Governorate.On the development interventions that have been completed in the villages of the preliminary stage; Dr. Jamil Helmy, Assistant Minister for Sustainable Development Plan Follow-up Affairs and General Supervisor of a Decent Life at the Ministry of Planning explained that 51 health units have been established and developed, 258 medical convoys and 1,352 surgical operations have been completed.



 He pointed out that in the context of developing educational services; the construction and development of 127 schools have been completed, including 2,311 classrooms, and illiteracy eradication of 3,000 citizens.Concerning the provision of drinking water and sanitation services, Helmy indicated that the construction and development of 253 groundwater wells, 1,675 household water connections, 706 household sewage tanks, and 1,680 household sewage connections have been completed.The Assistant Minister of Planning for the Follow-up Affairs of the Sustainable Development Plan, and the General Supervisor of “A Decent Life” in the Ministry added; About 123,000 job opportunities were created by providing loans of about EGP 844 million, as well as the completion of raising the efficiency of 11.600 homes, paving roads with a length of 170 km, establishing and developing 26 youth centers and a five-a-side playground, and installing 9.400 lighting poles, which in turn contributed Improving the quality of life index (the rate of availability of basic services), and reducing the poverty rate by about 11 percentage points in the villages of the preparatory stage of “a Decent Life”.It is noteworthy that the first phase of “A Decent Life” was officially launched, and began to be implemented since the beginning of this year in 52 centers, with the participation of all state authorities, in more than 1,400 villages and more than 10000 followers, at a cost of more than EGP 260 billion. These centers will be started based on scientific studies, poverty rates standards, existing problems, and the percentage of services, and work will be done in other centers over the next two years.As for the preliminary phase of the Decent Life initiative, it started before the official launch as a pilot phase on 375 villages.