New ministers vow to build a better Egypt

CAIRO - The newly-appointed ministers of Egyptian Prime Minister Heshem Qandil's cabinet vowed Saturday to make a better future for their motherland, amid heavy expectation from Egyptian people who have suffered from chaos and disorders for more than one year.

Minister of Manpower and Immigration Khaled Mahmoud el-Azhari Awqaf kicked off his job by holding a meeting with the ministry's undersecretaries on the working conditions of companies and factories' employees, calling on the undersecretaries and governorate directors to protect the rights of workers, official news agency MENA reported.

On his first day, Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Mohamed Bahaeddin said the increasing demand on water for agriculture, industry, river transport and drinking is threatened due to the constant abuse of waterways and the increasing local consumption, asserting that negotiations on water cooperation with the Nile Basin states will be maintained.

Meanwhile, State Minister for Local development Ahmed Zaki asserted that his priorities are to strengthen coordination among governorates to implement the 100-day plan initiated by President Mohamed Morsi and the "Clean Country" campaign.

The new ministers took oath Thursday before Morsi in the presidential palace.

The swearing-in ceremony was led by Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi, who also acts as the chairman of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces.

The new cabinet has 35 ministries, including four new ones, such as State Ministry of Sports, State Ministry of Youth and Investment Ministry, among others.

Seven ministers of the outgoing cabinet of former Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri, including Tantawi and Foreign Minister Mohamed Amr, have retained their posts in the new cabinet.