Tunis, Jan 14 (AFP) Tunisia's government today announcedan increase in aid to the needy and improved health care aspart of social reforms following a week of unrest triggered byausterity measures.
Social Affairs Minister Mohamed Trabelsi told reportersthat monthly aid to needy families would rise from 150 dinars(50 euros) to between 180 and 210 dinars (60 and 70 euros).
He said reforms which have been in the pipeline forseveral months would guarantee medical care for all Tunisians,without elaborating, and also provide housing to disadvantagedfamilies.
The announcement came after President Beji Caid Essebsiconsulted with political parties, unions and employers.
The North African country has been shaken by a wave ofprotests over poverty and unemployment during which hundredsof people were arrested before the unrest tapered off.
"It's a very advanced legal project, which was submittedto parliament and will be discussed over the next week," saida government source who requested anonymity.
At the opening of his consultations, Essebsi accused theforeign press of "amplifying" the social unrest and damagingthe country's image in its coverage of protests.
The president said he would visit a disadvantagedneighbourhood of Tunis that had been the scene of streetprotests.
Tunisia, whose economy has been hit by a collapse intourism revenues following a wave of jihadist attacks in 2015,has secured a 2.4-billion-euro (USD 2.9-billion) IMF loan inreturn for a reduction in its budget deficit and financialreforms.
The two-hour crisis talks at the presidential palacebrought together Essebsi, representatives of politicalparties, the powerful UGTT trade union and the UTICAemployers' federation.
"We discussed the general situation in the country andthe reforms, especially socio-economic, that must be adoptedto overcome the current problems," UTICA head WidedBouchamaoui told reporters.
Proposals were raised "to pull out of this tension"without scrapping a contested 2018 budget, said RachedGhannouchi, head of the Islamist movement Ennahda in Tunisia'sruling coalition, without elaborating.
UTICA and UGTT shared the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize fortheir work during Tunisia's transition towards democracy afterthe revolution.
The demonstrations broke out ahead of Sunday's seventhanniversary of the toppling of veteran dictator Zine ElAbidine Ben Ali in a revolt that sparked uprisings across theArab region.
The trigger for the protests on January 7 was the budgetimposing tax hikes after a year of rising prices.
A man in his 40s died in unrest on Monday night in thenorthern town of Tebourba, though police have insisted theydid not kill him. (AFP)CK.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.