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Another fatal train crash, this time in Minya: The nation’s talking heads focused last night on the deadlytrain crash that occurred in Minya yesterday — a locomotive crashed into a Cairo-bound passenger train coming from Aswan. Health Ministry spokesperson Hossam Abdel Ghaffar told Salaat El Tahrir’s Faten Abdel Maaboud (watch, runtime: 5:02) that the accident resulted in one death and 19 injuries, with the two train cars falling into the Ibrahimiya canal.
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The aftermath: All 19 injured people were discharged from hospitals, Abdel Maaboud said (watch, runtime: 6:56), adding that those responsible for the accident were referred to the public prosecutor to check for potential drug use.
Why does this keep happening? El Hekaya’s Amr Adib expressed concern over the increasing frequency of train accidents despite bns spent on railway development (watch, runtime: 6:35). Adib said that while the reason behind the crash remains unclear, there are issues with staff competence, training, and other procedures.
ALSO- The move to cash subsidies in question: National Dialogue board member Gouda Abdel Khalek told Adib (watch, runtime: 3:26) that a key condition for transitioning from in-kind to cash subsidies is ensuring price stability in markets — something the government hasn’t been able to do. Another sticking point in the move lies in the fact that “the government doesn’t have a database that allows subsidies to reach all those who deserve them.”
Remember: Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly last month said that he hopes to see the initial phases of the implementation of cash-based subsidies at some point during the next fiscal year. The matter has already been discussed by the National Dialogue, which is now in talks with the government over how it could be implemented, he said.
A key element: Transitioning from in-kind subsidies to cash-based government support is a keyelement of our economic reform program linked to our most recent IMF package. Enterprise sources previously told us that cash-based subsidies will range between EGP 500-1,250 and will be raised annually in line with inflation levels.
