SOME 400 small-business grants will be available for residents of Region Six to either start a business or expand their businesses, Vice-President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo announced on Monday.

The Vice-President had weeks earlier made similar announcements — first announcing 250 business grants for residents of Region Two and the same amount for residents of Region 10.

Speaking at community meetings held at the Line Path Community Centre Ground and the Tagore Memorial Secondary school, Dr Jagdeo said the $250,000 grants are geared to stimulate economic activities in the region, which has been affected by the estates closures by the APNU+AFC Government as well as the high cost of living, due to external factors which are beyond Guyana’s control.

The Vice-President, the previous day, had announced that some 3,000 temporary jobs will be allocated to residents of Region Six in the coming weeks.

Those who will be employed will work 10 days per month and will be assigned to schools, hospitals and government offices and will receive a salary of $40,000.

On assumption to office, the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Government was confronted with the situation where some 30,000 persons had lost their jobs under the APNU+AFC Government, and another 40,000 more when the same government closed the country on the advent of COVID-19 pandemic.

“In the short-term, we have to try to get people re-employed, so that is why in this year’s budget we made a decision that we will give people temporary employment so that they can have a family income,” the Vice-President said.

Some 800 temporary jobs have already been allocated to Region Two and the same number in Region 10 to ease the impact of the high cost of living on the residents there.

The PPP/C had promised to create 50,000 jobs in its first term in office, and since its election to office in August 2020, the party has been working diligently to fulfil its manifesto commitments to the people, Vice-President Jagdeo said.

The government is also co-investing in the construction of an agro-processing factory at Black Bush Polder that will create scores of jobs for Region Six residents, and, according to Mr Jagdeo, the government has received several similar proposals for investment in the region.

“So, if anybody has an employment-creating activity in this region, then we can sit and co-invest with them,” the Vice-President said.

He had previously explained that the government is working to attract investors to Regions Three, Five, Six, 10 and in the hinterland by offering them incentives to invest in these regions.

The majority of the investors, since the discovery of oil in Guyana, have been flocking Regions Three and Four, to the extent that these two regions are now experiencing labour shortages, Dr Jagdeo lamented.

Since coming to power in 2020, the government has delivered on a number of its manifesto promises. These so far include restoring the children’s education grant and increasing it to $25,000, with the aim to further increase it to $50,000 by 2025.

This grant has also been extended to children at private schools. The school uniform voucher has also increased, old-age pension has been increased by 40 per cent and is expected to double the amount paid out in 2015. The government has also removed VAT on water and electricity, data and drainage, and irrigation charges which were increased by 500 per cent by the former government, have been slashed to the pre-2015 rate.

Some $250,000 in relief grants have also been given to laid-off sugar workers, as well $25,000 to the populace to cushion the impact of COVID-19. Monetary assistance was also given to all pensioners and billions of dollars have been paid to farmers affected by the massive floods last year.