Purchasing Power: Govt. Majority Aware of Citizens' Expectations, Works to Fulfill Them (Akhannouch)

23 February 2022 Printable Version

Rabat - The government majority is aware of citizens' expectations and is working to fulfill them and honor its commitments as well as obligations to them, especially in terms of preserving their purchasing power, said Tuesday in Rabat, president of the National Rally of Independents (RNI) party, Aziz Akhannouch.

Akhannouch was speaking at a press conference following the monthly meeting of the leaders of the coalition of the government majority that he chairs. The meeting took place in the presence of Abdellatif Ouahbi, secretary general of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), Nizar Baraka, secretary general of the Istiqlal party (PI), as well as the presidents of the majority groups in both Houses of Parliament.

The president of the RNI said that the government is making significant efforts to preserve the purchasing power of citizens, by subsidizing many basic goods and services, whose prices have increased sharply on the international market.

In this regard, he stressed that the government allocates annual subsidies of 17 billion dirhams for butane gas and 14 billion dirhams for electricity, 600 million dirhams per month to subsidize wheat flour and 3 billion dirhams per year for sugar and this, despite the difficult international context imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the rise in oil prices and other commodities, in addition to conflicts in some parts of the world.

Also, Akhannouch noted that the government will work to address the difficulties faced by transport professionals (passengers and goods) due to rising fuel prices internationally, stating that a dialogue will be initiated with representatives of these professionals to find solutions to alleviate the impact of high fuel prices on citizens.

For his part, Ouahbi said that the Kingdom is currently facing many challenges related to low rainfall and rising prices of oil and gas on international markets, adding that the meeting of the government majority has discussed these issues and their impact on the national economic situation.

He said that several initiatives have been taken "to ease the economic pressure on citizens," noting that decisions will be submitted to the government to implement them.

Baraka welcomed the Royal initiative to launch the exceptional program to support the rural world, worth 10 billion dirhams, in order to mitigate the effects of delayed rainfall.

In this regard, the SG of the PI said that the launch of this program reflects the proactive dimension of the royal initiative to improve the living conditions of the rural population and mitigate the impact of climate hazards on agricultural production.