Minister of Local Govern-ment and Regional Develop-ment, Ganga Persaud dealt with concerns about NIS pensions and the continuation of the school uniform voucher programme during a recent outreach exercise at White Water and Kamwatta villages in Region One.
According to a Govern-ment Information Agency (GINA) press report, Persaud and a team including Regional Chairman Paul Pierre inspected the Hosororo Primary, North West Secondary and North West girls and boys dormitories during the three-day exercise.
He also interacted with residents who voiced concerns about the deplorable state of sections of the roadways; job creation in the region; NIS pension benefits and school uniform vouchers.
One resident said he has endured much difficulty accessing his NIS benefits and that he had been told on many occasions that contributions had not been made for him over several years. In response, Persaud said he would alert Head of the NIS Board Dr Roger Luncheon about the issue.
The minister gave assurances to villagers that an allocation has been made for the school uniform voucher programme to continue. He was responding to residents’ claims that opposition members told them that the programme will come to a halt, GINA said. Residents also queried when they would receive their laptop computers under the One Laptop Per Family programme.
During the meetings Persaud spoke of a number of developments which have occurred over the last 20 years under the tenure of the PPP/C government. “There is always more to be done,” he acknowledged, adding that though there are challenges, there has been significant progress in the health, agriculture, social, education and housing sectors under the PPP/C.
Persaud also said regardless of political ties, the entire nation has benefited.
