Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi praised the role of the army and police in combating terrorism and foiling attempts to sow chaos in the period after the Muslim Brotherhood was toppled eight years ago.
Sisi gave a speech commemorating the June 30 revolution that removed former president Mohamed Morsi.
The president reiterated that the revolution “embodied precious meanings and values, the most important of which is the people’s ability to overcome unbeatable challenges through their unity.”
The state faced these challenges with all its tools and forces, including the army and police which succeeded in defeating terrorism, according to the president.
He pointed to a series of national projects, in addition to mobilizing efforts to improve the living conditions of all citizens across the country.
Sisi called for doubling efforts to overcome the challenges imposed in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, the President inspected equipment, vehicles, and engineering machinery participating in the “Decent Life” initiative and called upon agricultural landowners to preserve the remaining land.
Sisi announced that the government has allocated EGP600 billion to implement a “Decent Life” national project to develop Egyptian rural villages within three years. A total of EGP200 billion has been given for each stage of the initiative.
Priority will be given to the national industry in implementing the project, and Egyptian factories have a real opportunity to develop their capabilities and improve the quality of their products, which will help them make profits, said Sisi.
He added that the project will bring about another real change for more than half of the Egyptians in the countryside.
The work is not aimed at developing the sewage system or improving drinking water or electricity only, but rather it is an integrated program for all sectors, including education, health, communications, and agriculture, to change the situation of the entire countryside in the 52 centers at the level of the republic.
Sisi stressed that “urban planning will end the encroachments and abuses of agricultural lands.”
The president noted that the government aims to establish the New Delta by reclaiming approximately 2.5 million feddan, with cultivation set to take place at a very high cost.
He explained that the high cost is due to the use of triple treatment sewage and lifting stations, which will cost the state billions of pounds.
He suggested using the armed forces, in cooperation with the various state agencies, to preserve what is being accomplished in the national project.