The House of Representatives’ Manpower Committee signed off on a number of proposals on Monday, including one that amends social welfare laws to see pensions rise by 15%, AMAY reports. The increase is part of a EGP 46 bn social welfare package that the Sherif Ismail government had approved last month and will cost state coffers some EGP 20 bn. The committee also signed off on the 10% hardship raise for state bureaucrats not covered under the Civil service Act and sanctioned a proposal to set the minimum for public sector employees’ annual raises at EGP 65 a month. Also on Monday, the House General Assembly voted on a KWD 300k funding agreement with the Arab Fund for Social and Economic Development to finance the removal of landmines from the western north coast, Al Mal says. Representatives also sanctioned trade facilitation agreement that Egypt signed with the World Trade Organization in 2013 in Indonesia.