IN AN effort to elevate the standard of living of residents in hinterland communities, government continues to provide the necessary funds to the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs through presidential grants which have significantly impacted Amerindian communities, and have allowed many villages to implement income-generating projects.
This programme was severely affected by the more than $20B opposition- led cuts to the 2012 national budget. Last year, the ministry was provided with two years of presidential grants, which were used to support economic production and social projects in hinterland communities, Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai said at a press conference on Thursday , in the ministry’s conference room.
Minister Sukhai said that $323M that was allocated funded projects such as the construction of village shops, passenger cargo and fishing boats,  mini-buses, tractors and ATVs to improve life at the village level.
About $241M was expended on villages with populations ranging from 120 to 5,000 residents across hinterland communities.
The investment made under the presidential grant has been very helpful to communities that have over the period aspired to implement projects that were initiated by the villages, the minister said.
She further stated that her ministry visited these projects, and most of them were successful.