— as government moves to further accelerate its major developmental initiatives countrywide
THE government has been granted an additional $44.8 billion in capital and current expenditure with the passage of a supplementary budget geared at advancing the government’s development agenda.
The budget, Financial Paper No 1 of 2022, includes an allocation of $21.050 billion for the Housing and Water Ministry, the largest provision in the supplementary funding.
This money allocated covers various projects, including $250 million for the completion of water supply interventions in hinterland areas and $4.231 billion for additional resources to increase treated water coverage.
Responding to questions under the allocation, Housing and Water Minister, Colin Croal noted that the expenditure will include spending for the establishment of an additional seven water treatment plants, as the government continues to push towards at least 90 per cent coverage of treated water on the coast.
Additionally, the government is also rehabilitating a number of existing facilities, including replacement of the aged transmission network in the City.
“Now more than ever than any other previous tenure we see a commitment of resources placed in the trust for the Guyana Water Inc to deliver on their mandate and that is to ensure we have expanded delivery of water across the country and for us to also improve on the quality and level of service being delivered to households,” Minister Croal commented during remarks before the Assembly on Monday.
The supplementary budget also includes a $5.489 billion under the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and $4.439 billion for the Ministry of Public Works, of which some $3 billion is to support additional resources to facilitate the upgrading of roads and drains in various communities.
Under the MoA, the sum requested includes $40 million to promote the country’s food security agenda, $2 billion for the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), $1.278 billion for the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), $44.142 million for the Guyana Livestock and Development Authority (GLDA) and $218.8 million for the MMA/ADA.
The capital expenditure also includes $1.431 billion in additional resources to support the sugar industry and $300 million for additional resources to promote initiatives such as support for fisherfolk.
Addressing the National Assembly, Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha noted that over 8,000 fisherfolk have thus far registered for the $150,000 cash grant that the government has pledged to distribute to each fisherfolk.
FINAL LIST
“Hopefully by the end of this week we can have a final list to send to the Minister of Finance for the money to be paid to the fisherfolk,” the minister said.
He said the $300 million will also go towards rehabilitation of a number of landing sites across the country where fisherfolk dock their boats and offload their catch.
“We have 72 landing sites in the country and many of those landing sites need a lot of work to be done, for example, lights proper, wharfage and other infrastructure. So what we will be doing at all the 72 landing sites around the country we will be installing lights. We will be installing proper walkways; we will be installing better condition so our fishing folk can have easier access to when they come out there they can take out their catch.
This money here will rehabilitate and improve these landing sites around the country,” he said.
Under the Ministry of Public Works, the supplementary request includes some $233 million for the Demerara Harbour Bridge, $525 million for the East Coast to East Bank Demerara road linkage, $550 million for sea defence and $131 million for the rehabilitation of ferry vessels.
Public Works Minister, Juan Edghill explained that the supplementary provisions for the Harbour Bridge and ferry vessels are due largely in part to the lack of proper maintenance of equipment over the five years under the previous government.
Under the Ministry of Finance, $4 billion has been allocated for payment of electricity arrears to the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) as well as another $2.059 billion to fund the census activities of the Bureau of Statistics.
The budget also includes the much anticipated $3.116 billion to the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, which will be used to provide for additional resources to support development in Amerindian communities. This provision stems from initiatives that came out of the recent National Toshao Council (NTC) Conference.
Other agencies covered in the supplementary funding include the Ministries of Culture, Youth and Sports, Public Service, Human Services and Social Security, and Local Government and Regional Development. Also included is the Office of the Prime Minister, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), and Regions One, Two and Nine.