Guyana's 2010 National Budget to consolidate successful trends of 2009
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| Published on Monday, February 8, 2010 |
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GEORGETOWN, Guyana (GINA) -- As Guyana's Minister of Finance, Ashni Singh, prepares to unveil the 2010 National Budget on Monday, the focus of the administration’s efforts for the coming year will be on consolidating and building on the gains achieved so far.
This was revealed by President Bharrat Jagdeo when he delivered his New Year’s Address at midnight at the beginning of the year.
He also went on to highlight the areas where there would be significant spending, such as in physical infrastructure, education, health, housing and assisting and protecting the poor and vulnerable sectors of society.
The President had stated that a significant coastal and hinterland roads programme is already in the pipeline.
Further, the electricity sector, which has been a source of dissatisfaction for many persons, the President said, is in for a major upgrade in the transmission and distribution network.
He was referring to the US$38 million agreement with the Import-Export Bank of China to modernize Guyana’s electricity transmission system over the next two to three years.
The project will see the stringing of 110km of transmission mains from Skeldon in Berbice to Edinburgh, West Coast Demerara and the construction of seven power sub-stations that will route the power, and is in preparation for when the Amaila Falls hydropower project is activated, ensuring electricity is routed through Demerara and Berbice.
The project will also see a state-of-the-art controlled system to manage and dispatch power efficiently, installed at the Sophia power station.
Another significant infrastructural project that will commence in 2010, the President indicated, will be the construction of the alternative northern discharge for the East Demerara Water Conservancy at Hope, East Coast Demerara.
Further, “concrete steps to increase the availability and reliability and reduce the cost of bandwidth within the telecommunications sector” would be pursued..
He indicated that in addition to already established priorities in the education sector, such as improving literacy rates, special emphasis in 2010 will be placed on “science and technology and the expansion of technical and vocational education”.
The President also indicated that a major programme to computerize all secondary schools is in the works, and cognizant that good nutrition plays an important role in improving concentration of students at school, Government will be spending some $800 million on a countrywide school-feeding programme.
In the health sector, the major emphasis will be on improving the quality of service, President Jagdeo stated.
“Audits, including clinical audits, will be introduced for all public health institutions. Also, all public hospitals will be required to enter into a service contract with the Ministry of Health whereby these institutions will be held accountable for the provision of quantifiable and verifiable standards of health care deliverables. Further, the quality of service provided by all medical service providers, both private and public, will be reviewed to ensure conformity with the Health Facilities Licencing Act,” he said.
In housing, an additional 6,000 house-lots will be allocated and attention will be paid to updating and more effectively enforcing the building codes.
“In 2010, my Government will build on the work that we’ve already done to protect and serve those who are most vulnerable in our society,” the Head of State said.
To this end, Government plans to bring into law the remaining elements of a comprehensive legislative framework to protect children, including in such areas as child care and development services, custody, contact, guardianship and maintenance and sexual offences, to complement the already enacted legislation on child care and the status, adoption and protection of children.
Further, the national foster care programme will be rolled out and the child care protection agency will be strengthened.
“These initiatives, taken together with our policy on domestic violence and our training programmes for single parents and vulnerable youths, which will benefit some 4,000 persons this year, will help to ensure that more Guyanese are empowered to live a more fulfilling life,” President Jagdeo highlighted.
Singh had also revealed that some $4B would be distributed as old age pensions in 2010.
Another key element of the 2010 National Budget which has been emphasized by the President, his
Ministers and the Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Roger Luncheon, would be on improving quality of service, value for money and greater accountability to the public.
This effort is being made to make Government more responsive to the people of Guyana as it is them that the Administration is meant to serve. As the President has said in the New Year’s Address, “The role of Government is to create an environment conducive to the full development of every individual.”
Further at a press conference on Friday, Luncheon had noted that the themes of the 2010 National
The budget will include the maintenance of macro-economic stability, spurring economic growth, creating and advancing job security, and focusing on monitoring and evaluation to ensure that public expenditure is efficient and value for money is received.
He also highlighted that this year’s budget follows the execution of the 2009 one, which was crafted during the height of the global economic and financial crisis which threatened the health of Guyana’s economy and the standard of living of the Guyanese people.
“The Administration’s initial assessment is that those policies and strategies employed in 2009 adequately cushioned the impact of the crisis on Guyana and Guyanese,” the HPS stated.
He explained that the 2010 National Budget is intended to consolidate on the successful trends of 2009 and aggressively pursue developmental goals in the context of the regional and international realities. | | | | Reads : 1187 | | | |
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