CAIRO, Sept 29 (Aswat Masriya) – Youth and Sports Minister Khaled Abdel Aziz appointed on Monday six youth deputies, as per a decree issued by Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb earlier in September.

Three of the newly appointed deputies would assist the minister in youth affairs, while the three others would provide assistance in sports affairs, according to a statement issued by the ministry. 

Mehleb issued a decree on Sept 8 mandating each minister to appoint two to four deputies aged between 30 and 40 years. Forty employees at the ministry of youth and sports applied for the position and underwent the test conducted by the ministry to choose the deputies.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced on Sunday that 50 percent of the seats at the presidency's specialised councils will be allocated for the youth. 

During a speech he delivered from Cairo University, Sisi added that he has ordered doubling the number of scholarships for students to study abroad. The president also urged the youth to take part in the nation's development through contributing to major national projects like the new Suez Canal Development Project.

On August 5, Sisi launched a mega project, which entails digging a 72-km (45-mile) bifurcation to the Suez Canal as well as developing the Suez Canal region. Digging the bifurcation is expected to cost $4 billion.