Yesterday at the House of Representatives: MPs voted on an USD 400 mn loan for rail infrastructure, the establishment of an EGP 1 bn fund to support disabled people, and a draft bill setting up an organization that will work on development projects in collaboration with civil society groups. The votes came during what could be the next-to-last plenary session of the 2022-2023 legislative season.

CONSPICUOUSLY ABSENT- MPs pushed their scheduled discussion and vote on a bill eliminating preferential tax treatment for some state-owned organizations to today’s agenda.

Here’s the full rundown:

#1- World Bank freight rail money: MPs gave their final approval a USD 400 mn loan from the World Bank’s International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) to finance the construction of a railway line between the Port of Alexandria and the Sixth of October dry port.

Background: The World Bank signed off on the loan back in October. The money will help finance the construction of a railway bypass that avoids the congested Greater Cairo-Sixth of October rail corridor. The bypass will allow freight trains to travel between the Port of Alexandria and the newly-built Sixth of October dry port via an alternative route to the west of Greater Cairo. It will be able to handle 15 container trains per day by 2030 and up to 50 trains by 2060.

Not everyone is onboard: Leftist National Progressive Unionist Party spokesman Atef Meghawry and independent MP Ahmed Farghali both characterized the loan as what they called another example of the Madbouly government’s excessive borrowing. “This agreement will only increase foreign debt, not to mention that it will not generate financial revenue for the state treasury,” Meghawry said.

El Wazir strikes back: Transport Minister Kamel El Wazir demanded that Meghawry and Farghali remain in the chamber to hear him rebut their critique, promising that he would tender his resignation if he wasn’t able to make the benefits of the project clear, Al Malreports.

#2-Differently-Abled Fund: MPs gave their preliminary approval to a draft bill setting up an EGP 1 bn fund to support people with disabilities.

REMEMBER- Financed entirely by various state organizations and funds, the Differently Abled Fund will finance training programs to help people with disabilities enter the job market and run SMEs among other forms of social and financial support. The fund received the go ahead from the House Social Solidarity Committee last week. President Abdel Fattah El Sisi directed the Madbouly government to set up the fund last year.

What they said: “Disabled people are part of society and they deserve all kinds of support, particularly financial assistance, to help them live a normal life,” said head of the Social Solidarity Committee Abdel Hadi Al Qasabi.

#3- MPs also gave preliminary approval to a draft bill setting up the National Alliance for Civilian and Development Action, which will work to establish development projects and social development initiatives in collaboration with NGOs and civil society organizations.

What’s next? The bills setting up the Differently Abled Fund and the National Alliance for Civilian and Development Action will be put to a final vote in an upcoming session.

Tags: