Govt seeks additional $7.5B in spending -$2.4B for sugar workers’ severance

Oct 19, 2018 News

Government has tabled a supplementary budget to the National Assembly for $7.58B in additional funding.
Part of the monies, some $2.45B of it, will go to pay 1,400 sugar workers whose services were severed last year.
According to the Financial Paper No. 3 of 2018, the current estimates will amount to $4.09B with the capital estimates at $3.48B.
Among other things, some $19.2M is to meet expenditure to provide relief supplies for hundreds of Venezuela migrants who are in Regions One, Seven and Nine; $4M for emergency repairs in Diamond Housing Scheme and for the hosting, monitoring and management of the Brazilian team which is drilling several wells in Region Nine.
A major part of the $7.5B- about $3B- will be going to the Ministry of Agriculture.
That includes the $2.5B for former sugar workers of Skeldon, Rose Hall and Enmore; and $600M for that National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA).
The authority will be using the monies to conduct works on facilities once handled by the Guyana Sugar Corporation.
The Authority had taken over the drainage and irrigation duties following the divestment of some responsibilities once carried out by GuySuCo.
Part of the monies will be used to pay GuyTrac, a company which supplies heavy equipment and was owed because of a court judgment.
Several hundred millions will be used to pay for security services at Regions three, Four, Five, Six, Nine and Ten.
The request is also for payments to Sweepers/Cleaners in the regions with $10M intended for emergency works at the Leguan Cottage Hospital and three health posts in Region Three.
Some $165M is being earmarked for additional employment costs and other charges for the period October to December 2018,
Under Capital Estimates, there is almost $20M in additional resources for the completion of rehabilitations of building to house classrooms at the Bertram Collins College of the Public Service.
There were additional works to be done at the Ogle building, where GuySuCo was once headquartered. This will mean that $112M has been spent so far.
Some $192M will be used to facilitate payments for the Lethem and Belvedere industrial development project, which includes access to the business incubator area for operations.
Another $60M is the Government’s counterpart financing for widening of the East Coast Demerara roadway.
With regards to the hinterland, $239M is being asked for to improve critical hinterland transport links, including emergency works to four bridges along the Mabura to Kurupukari corridor; completion of the Mahdia internal roads and for the commencement of works on the Linden to Lethem roadway- Wisroc to Rockstone junction.
Another $29M will be used to meet the increased cost and value-added tax for a fireboat for the Fire Service.

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