Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai on Monday handed over a John Deere tractor to the people of Karrau Village, Region Seven to boost their income-generating capacity.
At a brief ceremony held at the ministry, Sukhai said the $6.4M tractor is the latest effort by government to boost the lives of its first peoples. She said government has also designed several economic programmes aimed at developing traditional skills and has marketed produce from indigenous communities to help to generate income.
Sukhai handed over the keys to the vehicle to Toshao James Cornelius and urged him to ensure that it is used in productive activities that can benefit the community.
GINA said this year some $488M has been budgeted for the Amerindian sector. A total of $30.7M had been allocated to boost livelihoods in several hinterland communities where residents face difficulties accessing transportation to carry out their daily activities.
