Gov’t Ministers discuss implementation of 2012 projects - for sectors approved by National Assembly
Georgetown, GINA, April 21, 2012
Source - GINA
Implementation of various projects and programmes for several government sectors that have been approved by the National Assembly during the consideration of the Estimates and Expenditures in the 2012 National Budget was discussed by subject Ministers during a discussion programme on the National Communications Network (NCN) over the weekend.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony, Minister of Agriculture Dr. Leslie Ramsammy and Minister of Human Services and Social Security Jennifer Webster highlighted their sectors’ key points during the discussion moderated by NCN’s Editor-In-Chief, Michael Gordon.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony, Minister of Agriculture Dr. Leslie Ramsammy and Minister of Human Services and Social Security Jennifer Webster highlighting their sectors’ key points during a panel discussion on the National Communications Network with Michael Gordon, NCN’s Editor-In-Chief, the Moderator.
Social Services for seniors, the vulnerable
Minister Webster is responding to a question about the increase in old age and public assistance said that the original 8 percent proposed in the 2012 budget for pensioners was increased by more than 25 percent, costing over $1B and to come from the national consolidated fund.
This, she said was as a result of a recent dialogue between the Opposition and President Donald Ramotar.
With effect from May, 42,000 pensioners will receive an increase of 33.33 percent or $10,000 monthly prior to the $7500 they were receiving.
“In addition to annual increases, other support services are provided to pensioners including subsidies on water payments and medical care,” Minister Webster said. Senior citizens also continue to benefit from free travel on public vessels.
In addition to this, she said that the budget provides for public assistance to be paid, with effect from May 1, at a rate of $5,900, a 7 percent increase. This is more than double what was being paid just five years ago.
While outlining plans to tackle the issue of domestic violence, Minister Webster said it is something that Government has to work on assiduously to address this year.
“We do have plans this year to undertake a national discussion on the issue of domestic violence….one of the social issues that we cannot ignore in society but something which remains as a great concern to the Government,” Minister Webster explained.
The national conversation on domestic violence, she said will include inputs from all stakeholders, including Non-Governmental Organisations, Women’s Groups, female parliamentarians, young people, Men’s Affair Bureau, the Guyana Women’s Lawyers Association and the Judiciary.
The inputs and contributions from this activity will be used to establish a national action plan, Minister Webster said.
While all the necessary legislations have been developed and directed towards the creation and maintenance of a safe environment for children and women, she said their successes depend on the involvement of all citizens.
Expanding WOW
The WOW programme launched in 2010 has achieved much success, and has transformed the lives of hundreds of single parent women. As a result of the increasing interest, the Ministry was allocated funds in the National Budget for expansion of the programme to single parent women in Regions 1 and 7. All the other Administrative regions are already accessing the WOW programme.
The programme has improved the financial status of many beneficiaries who tapped into the facility provided by the Government through the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI). It provides single women access to loans, ranging from $100,000 to $250,000 to establish and expand small businesses, with a maximum repayment period of 24 months.
“We also plan to conduct more training programmes to assist those women to improve their capabilities and to be able to secure markets for their produce…it is important that we guide them and assist with the tools and training that will afford them the opportunities to be able to source markets for production so they can be able to repay their loans in a timely manner,” Minister Webster explained.
Youth Training
Meanwhile Minister Anthony while outlining some of the programmes that will be expanded in the youth sector said that the Ministry this year will continue to execute the several programmes that were budgeted for, focusing on capacity building for youths, especially school drops.
The programmes at the Kuru Kuru training college he said which started with just over 100 youths; today caters for more than 300 annually.
At the residential facility where young people live for nine months, they are taught a skill in a field of their choice.
“After graduating they will be able to seek employment in those areas or start their own business through a soft loan programme,” Minister Anthony explained.
Following the success of a piloted driving course conducted last year, he said the programme will be fully implemented, so that all students passing through the facility will be able to drive and have their licence at the end of their training.
“We bought a vehicle for that driving course so this will be an additional skill given to the students passing through the institution,” Minister Anthony said.
In a very small but meaningful way, he said that programmes have been contributing to the development of young people who could have otherwise been elsewhere idling or getting into mischief.
“We also have other programmes under the Ministry of Labour where trainers are going into the community and training groups of young people…a lot of the training we do is in keeping with flexibility of job market, catering for demand on the job market,” Minister Anthony explained.
In addition, to being trained in various skills, the participants are also being exposed to remedial courses in Mathematics, English and reading among others.
Agriculture investments
Minister Ramsammy while elaborating on the massive programmes within the agriculture sector, to ensure it remains vibrant and productive, said that the sector has been benefiting from annual increase in the National budget.
Agriculture, he said remains a major contributor to the economy and cognizant of its contribution, Government has been increasing allocation to sector annually so as to generate more income for other social programmes and thus impacting the growth of country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Agriculture, he boasted does not only have an impact on the country’s GDP but, on people’s life with one main area being drainage and irrigation.
Drainage and Irrigation
Over the years, huge investments were made in the D& I system rehabilitating and reconstructing many dysfunctional sluices and abandoned pumping stations that were inherited by the People’s Progressive Party Civic.
“There were 29 pumps located along the coast in the 1960s and by 1992 all those pumps were abandoned. The task that this Government has was to replace all those pumps and, that is not a trivial piece of work,” Minister Ramsammy said.
“This year we will be replacing many pumps including at Manaribisi and Mibicuri…we are also rehabilitating the Torani Canal which will be removing water from the Berbice River into the Canje River,” Minister Ramsammy outlined.
The Ministry will also be constructing a relief canal in the Canal polders and in Johanna in Black Bush Polder.
Additional infrastructure works, Minister Ramsammy said will be done across the country such as completing the construction of a drainage sluice at Cottage, a new sluice at Abary, rehabilitation of the Buxton sluice, and expansion of the Grove/Diamond sluice.
This, he said will not only provide the opportunity for farmers to produce more but also good drainage for residential communities overlapping with farming areas.
Eight new pumps, he said will also be installed in areas, including Windsor Forest, Mahaicony-Pine Grove, Cane Grove, Paradise/Enterprise, Black Bush Polder, Skeldon, Albion and Rose Hall.
Relief channel
The construction of the Northern Relief Channel at Hope/Dochfour when completed will bring much needed relief to hundreds of farmers and residents.
“The channel will be completed on time, it is due in May 2013…this is a majestic piece of work and from dam to dam this channel will be 300 feet wide…no Caribbean Island has a river as wide as this new channel ,” Minister Ramsammy said.
The channel, will be controlled by eight powerful sluice doors, which will release water into the Atlantic Ocean
The Hope, relief channel will standout as a project undertaken by the people and Government of Guyana in responding to climate change and its adaptation measures.
Sugar
In responding to a question about the $4B allocated for Guyana Sugar Corporation, Minister Ramsammy said that the Sugar Industry has been the backbone of the economy dating back to the fight for independence.
The history of the industry, he said runs through the veins of Guyanese, since it helped to establish Guyana to where it is today.
“When bauxite had trouble in the 1970s and when we could not find money to pay teachers and the police officers, the sugar levee came as a saviour….it is still the single largest contributor to the economy of Guyana impacting the lives of over 100,000 people directly and indirectly,” Minister Ramsammy explained.
“I am proud that under my watch we are going to be supporting GuySuCo with $4B to ensure that the industry that has served us well, not for decades but, hundreds of years, not survived but was able to retain its position as the major contributor to the economy of this country,” Minister Ramsammy explained.
While the industry last exported over 170,000 tonnes of raw sugar and 7,000 tonnes of packaged sugar, this year it is targeting 265,000 tonnes of raw sugar and 8,000 tonnes of packaged sugar.
After several days of debate, followed by consideration of the estimates during which the Government Ministers were grilled in the National Assembly, the allocations for several Ministries, including Culture, Youth and Sport, Agriculture, Human Services and Social Security, Housing and Water, Home Affairs, Natural Resources and the Environment, Public Works, Public Service, and Tourism Industry and Commerce were approved with no cuts.
The $192.8B, National Budget was presented under the theme “Remaining On Course, United In Purpose. Prosperity For All”.