By EDDIE OSIFELO
THE 50 Members of Parliament will receive a total of $6.8 million each in this financial year.
This after the government allocated $340 million to the 50 Constituencies under the Ministry’s Development Budget.
About $18.4 million was allocated under the Recurrent Budget for the ministry to meet its office’s expenses and other charges.
The Peoples Republic of China contributes $90 million of the portion, which each MP will get $1.8 million per year.
Ministry of Rural Development Permanent Secretary, Allan Daonga confirmed this when he appeared before the Public Accounts Committee in Parliament yesterday.
PAC is scrutinising the $$3,905,951,360 budget for this year.
Daonga said the ministry is embarking on implementing the National Development Strategy objectives and Government’s policy to deliver rural development nationwide.
He said this is so that all Solomon Islanders participate meaningfully to improve their social and economic livelihood.
Further to that, the ministry has allocated $1.5 million for the 50 constituencies to apply to engage their communities in income generation activities and infrastructure projects like roads and bridges to access markets and establish fisheries centres.
Daonga said the constituencies need to submit their work plans to get 30% of the $1.5 million for income generating activities and infrastructures projects.
He said the constituencies can also get support to plant kava, cocoa and copra and establish their storage facilities at rural level rather than rely on fees allocated under constituencies.
Member of Parliament for Small Malaita, Rick Hou said infrastructures are pressing need in rural constituencies.
He said the road he built in his constituency was estimated at $250 million.
“I spent $3 million to make the road.
“However, it is very expensive as you have to meet the costs of machines, trucks, fuels, labour and shipping freights,” he said.
Same old! same old! Promise of a tank full of water end up with droplets of water enough to keep fraction of the population alive. What a tragedy! God help us! Tell me is the future gloomy or bright. I see nothing yet.
Looks like our rural populace will be benefit massively by this good sum of $$$$$$. A very good intention for our rural people to avoid the current urban drift.