Gov’t tightens eligibility for food subsidies: New food subsidy ration card holders are facing tighter eligibility requirements, according to a decree issued on Tuesday and published on the Official Gazette. The new rule caps the number of family members eligible per card to four and introduces an EGP 1,500 monthly income threshold for eligibility for full-time workers; pensioners will qualify provided they earn no more than EGP 1,200 a month. The new rules do not apply to the existing 20.8 mn ration card holders and have no impact on their eligibility or rations.

The decree also clearly defines who, exactly, would be eligible for a ration card. Among those qualifying: orphans, widows, divorced women, single mothers, those with disabilities or special needs, minors, seasonal workers, and those eligible for social welfare benefits under the Takaful and Karama program. The unemployed who have higher education degrees will also be receiving new ration cards. A cabinet committee made up of the ministers of finance, supply, social solidarity, and planning will be meeting to determine when infants above the age of two will be eligible for ration cards, Supply Ministry spokesperson Mohamed Sewed said, according to Al Masry Al Youm.