THE National Assembly on Monday evening passed a $375M spending package
covering the 2015 activities, functions and duties of the Prime Minister, and the offices under his control.

The allocation amounts to a total of $267,980M for current expenditure, and $107,079M for capital projects.
The package includes some $68M for the Government Information Agency (GINA) and $77M for the National Communications Network (NCN). There were also allocations for Lethem, Mahdia and Port Kaituma Power and Light Incs.

Under the previous Administration, allocations for GINA and NCN were listed under Office of the President, but under the new Government, the responsibility for Information and Communication has been placed under the Prime Minister’s office.

As a result, the budget reflects that for the period January 1 to August 31, 2015, under the Office of the President, GINA received $80.4M while NCN received $69.5M.

Under the Office of the Prime Minister, GINA will receive $63.939M as funding for the remainder of the year (September to December).

The information agency will also receive another $4.3M as capital allocation for the purchase of equipment such as cameras and accessories.

Meanwhile, NCN will receive $27.2M for staff maintenance and another $50M for the rehabilitation of communication towers at New Amsterdam, the provision of an access road at Onderneeming, the provision for flood- alleviation measures at radio and television stations in Georgetown, the provision for a communication tower and paved driveway in Linden, broadcast equipment, lighting kits, UPS, radio automation systems and security lights.

During consideration of the estimates, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, defending the allocations for the agencies, pointed out that under the previous Administration, the agencies were “PPP propaganda machines,” but that the present Administration has begun a process of transforming GINA and NCN into “professional State agencies.”
During the deliberations, the PM also defended the selection of the new Director of GINA as being a “qualified professional and not a political hack.”

He stated that the agency’s director is “a professional public relations person with many years of experience.”
Allocations to the energy sector include the Lethem Power and Light Inc $70M, Mahdia Power and Light $10M and Port Kaituma $10M. There is also a $5.378M electrification programme for the rehabilitation of the low voltage distribution network, provision for capacity-building and $5.401M for power utility upgrades. These allocations cater for reducing electricity losses, reconfiguration and upgrading of distribution networks, upgrades and relocation of distribution transformers, implementation of management software and institutional strengthening.