THE People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government through the 2024 National Budget continues to demonstrate that the government is a people-centred one focused on the welfare of all citizens.

This is according to Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond, who made these remarks during an airing of Budget In Focus on Sunday.

The minister said: “The people are at the heart and centre of our policies and this budget emphasises that point.”

Against this backdrop, she said that there has been a good reception generally from the public about the budget; however, she noted that opposition members have been bereft of constructive things to say about this budget.

To this end, she noted that this is something that the government will address in relation to how disingenuous their remarks are. Against this backdrop, she highlighted a statement made by one opposition member who stated, “We can’t eat concrete.”

As such she said, “That tells me and shows me a basic lack of economic knowledge of how economies work and develop and I don’t know who’s advising them but it is economics 101 that infrastructure projects are a major driver for the economy.”

With that, she gave an example and noted that when there are construction projects, people are employed from the communities as part of the project, and persons who provide meals for workers are also earning.

“The roads and major roadways that are being built…brings economic activity… Infrastructure projects like roads also highlight and incentivise investors,” she said.

The minister went on to add, “People will choose a place, a country, an island, an area to invest when the infrastructure is available, and when we speak of infrastructure we’re speaking about hospitals, we’re speaking about the accommodations, hotels and housing and water.”

Further to this, she noted that these sorts of investments will ultimately trickle down to the ordinary Guyanese across the country.