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THE financial estimates budgeted for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Legal Affairs and Ministry of Agriculture were last evening approved in the National Assembly after many questions were asked, answers provided and clarifications sought. However, the first of the proposed budget cuts by the Alliance For Change (AFC) came up for consideration in the House and constructive answers by the subject Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy proved to be enough to stave off any activation of the cuts to the Agriculture Ministry.
The House considered the estimates for the Ministry of Agriculture and Minister Ramsammy was grilled on the various expenditures including amounts totalling $2.7B related to the Hope Canal and the purchase of a number of drainage pumps among others.
Responding to the AFC Leader Ramjattan, Dr Ramsammy informed the House on the issue of the pumps, that the commencement date for the contract would have been effected at the time of the first payment that would have been made in March.
He said that since that time a number of completed pumps have been shipped to Guyana.
Dr Ramsammy indicated that the 14 pumps include fixed and mobile pumps and the latest in the shipments of components arrived in Guyana three days ago.
Six of the completed pumps are in Guyana according to Dr Ramsammy, while components for the remainder have been continuously shipped to Guyana.
Dr Ramsaamy was also grilled on the relief canal for the East Demerara Water Conservancy, particularly as it relates to design flaws that had been raised publicly by local engineers inclusive of Charles Sohan.
The Agriculture Minister told the House the concerns raised were addressed to the satisfaction of the consultants and engineers,
He further indicated that the engineers that had been making public pronouncements regarding design flaws had been invited to sit as advisors on the board but had declined.
Dr Ramsammy says that while he is no engineer, when concerns are raised he convenes meetings with his engineers and, according to the minister, “Our engineers are satisfied that their concerns are being taken on board.”
Many of the concerns raised publicly had already been identified in-house and dealt with to the satisfaction of stakeholders, he said.
Dr Ramsammy told the House that the project is set to be completed by August 31 and lamented significant sloth in the works undertaken last year.
Only 30 to 40 per cent of the work was completed utilising 80 per cent of the allotted time, according to Dr Ramsammy.
The Agriculture Minister was also grilled over the $1B proposed capital transfer for the Guyana Sugar Corporation.
He said the monies will be going toward the GuySuCo accounts to assist with its cash flow.
He explained that the sugar company expends between $50M and $60M in fuel per week along with a $250M weekly wage bill.
Ramsammy indicated also that as it relates to local creditors, GuySuCo owes just about $1B.
Ramjattan also requested a breakdown of how the capital transfer approved in 2012 had been utilised.
According to Dr Ramsammy, more than $1.5B of the money went towards retroactive payments for sugar workers represented by GAWU as well as for salaries and crop financing along with another $142M that went towards the Bosh engineering contract.
Ramjattan declined to move the amendments to slash the expenditures, as had been indicated, when Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman, placed the estimates for a vote.
The Ministry of Agriculture’s allocations were unanimously approved.
Meanwhile, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Carl Greenidge last evening provided the House with notice of its intention to make a number of slashes to the budget in the coming days.
According to the proposal by Greenidge, APNU is looking to reduce the monies for Office of the President by several hundred million dollars inclusive of allocations for security services.
The Government Information Agency (GINA) along with the National Communications Network (NCN) allocations under the Office of the President have also been identified to be reduced to a dollar.
APNU in its signalled cuts, have also targeted the Office of the First Lady, reducing its allocation to $1.
Greenidge has also signalled to the House that APNU intends to reduce the more than $92M for the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) to a dollar as well as the $100M allocation for the Sports and Arts Development Fund under the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.
As it relates to the Office of the President’ Information Communication and Technology (ICT) programme, Greenidge has proposed to reduce the $4.5B allocation by just over $2B.
APNU has also proposed to slash the more than $10.2B capital transfer to the Guyana Power and Light and has indicated that it is willing to only approve $5B of the requested amounts.
Under the Low Carbon Development Programme, Greenidge has proposed, as did the AFC to reduce the $20B allocation to $1B while the Ministry of Finance’s Youth Initiative programme will be slashed by half down from $60M.
The more than $5B allocation for the expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport has also been proposed by Greenidge to be reduced to a dollar as well as to cut the budget of the provisions for the Specialty Hospital to $1.
The House considered the estimates for the Ministry of Agriculture and Minister Ramsammy was grilled on the various expenditures including amounts totalling $2.7B related to the Hope Canal and the purchase of a number of drainage pumps among others.
Responding to the AFC Leader Ramjattan, Dr Ramsammy informed the House on the issue of the pumps, that the commencement date for the contract would have been effected at the time of the first payment that would have been made in March.
He said that since that time a number of completed pumps have been shipped to Guyana.
Dr Ramsammy indicated that the 14 pumps include fixed and mobile pumps and the latest in the shipments of components arrived in Guyana three days ago.
Six of the completed pumps are in Guyana according to Dr Ramsammy, while components for the remainder have been continuously shipped to Guyana.
Dr Ramsaamy was also grilled on the relief canal for the East Demerara Water Conservancy, particularly as it relates to design flaws that had been raised publicly by local engineers inclusive of Charles Sohan.
The Agriculture Minister told the House the concerns raised were addressed to the satisfaction of the consultants and engineers,
He further indicated that the engineers that had been making public pronouncements regarding design flaws had been invited to sit as advisors on the board but had declined.
Dr Ramsammy says that while he is no engineer, when concerns are raised he convenes meetings with his engineers and, according to the minister, “Our engineers are satisfied that their concerns are being taken on board.”
Many of the concerns raised publicly had already been identified in-house and dealt with to the satisfaction of stakeholders, he said.
Dr Ramsammy told the House that the project is set to be completed by August 31 and lamented significant sloth in the works undertaken last year.
Only 30 to 40 per cent of the work was completed utilising 80 per cent of the allotted time, according to Dr Ramsammy.
The Agriculture Minister was also grilled over the $1B proposed capital transfer for the Guyana Sugar Corporation.
He said the monies will be going toward the GuySuCo accounts to assist with its cash flow.
He explained that the sugar company expends between $50M and $60M in fuel per week along with a $250M weekly wage bill.
Ramsammy indicated also that as it relates to local creditors, GuySuCo owes just about $1B.
Ramjattan also requested a breakdown of how the capital transfer approved in 2012 had been utilised.
According to Dr Ramsammy, more than $1.5B of the money went towards retroactive payments for sugar workers represented by GAWU as well as for salaries and crop financing along with another $142M that went towards the Bosh engineering contract.
Ramjattan declined to move the amendments to slash the expenditures, as had been indicated, when Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman, placed the estimates for a vote.
The Ministry of Agriculture’s allocations were unanimously approved.
Meanwhile, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Carl Greenidge last evening provided the House with notice of its intention to make a number of slashes to the budget in the coming days.
According to the proposal by Greenidge, APNU is looking to reduce the monies for Office of the President by several hundred million dollars inclusive of allocations for security services.
The Government Information Agency (GINA) along with the National Communications Network (NCN) allocations under the Office of the President have also been identified to be reduced to a dollar.
APNU in its signalled cuts, have also targeted the Office of the First Lady, reducing its allocation to $1.
Greenidge has also signalled to the House that APNU intends to reduce the more than $92M for the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) to a dollar as well as the $100M allocation for the Sports and Arts Development Fund under the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.
As it relates to the Office of the President’ Information Communication and Technology (ICT) programme, Greenidge has proposed to reduce the $4.5B allocation by just over $2B.
APNU has also proposed to slash the more than $10.2B capital transfer to the Guyana Power and Light and has indicated that it is willing to only approve $5B of the requested amounts.
Under the Low Carbon Development Programme, Greenidge has proposed, as did the AFC to reduce the $20B allocation to $1B while the Ministry of Finance’s Youth Initiative programme will be slashed by half down from $60M.
The more than $5B allocation for the expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport has also been proposed by Greenidge to be reduced to a dollar as well as to cut the budget of the provisions for the Specialty Hospital to $1.
