A total of $160 million is now being paid monthly to the 4,000 persons who have been employed under a government initiative as part-time workers in Region Six.
Regional Chairman David Armogan made the disclosure last Friday at the launch of the Berbice Expo and Trade Fair.
Each worker is receiving $40,000 monthly, and according to information gathered they have been placed at various government institutions throughout the region to improve services. Notably, health centres, markets, hospitals, and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) have taken on the majority of the persons.
“So things are looking up for businesses because once people get more money in their pockets, once people have more disposal income, the more they will spend and the more business will prosper,” Armogan stated.
Meanwhile, earlier this month at the sod-turning ceremony for the Business Centre For Persons with Disabilities, which is currently under construction at Palmyra Village, it was disclosed that over 30 persons with disabilities were employed in the part-time programme within the region.
Ganesh Singh, Coordinator of the Guyana Council of Organizations for Persons with Disabilities, said, “these are the things we need” which can help to sustain and transform the lives of persons with disabilities.
At that forum, Armogan had said, “We believe that persons with disabilities should have no less opportunities and should be given no less treatment than persons who do not have disabilities—that is the government’s commitment to persons living with disabilities in our country.”
Additionally, Armogan on Friday noted, that $719 million was disbursed under the government’s ‘Because We Care’ cash grant programme for school children in Region Six. “That is going to be spent here in the Berbice economy,” he stressed.
In his speech at the launch, Armogan pointed out, that Region Six is geared for a takeoff even as he observed that the government has been spending large sums of monies not only in the region but throughout Guyana “to give a boost to the economy,” which he said was stagnated over the last few years.
Also, according to him, the Berbice economy is going to develop “in a big way in agriculture.” He said, “Substantial sums of money generated from the oil and gas industry will be spent in developing new lands, and developing new infrastructure so that young people who are interested in agriculture can get involved.”
“Already you know the 59 road is a good way completed, we have another two phases to go before we can connect with the Canje Creek, the same thing with the 52 road,” he added, before noting that with the completion of those two all-weather roads over 40,000 acres of land will be opened up for new development. “That tells you that we are very serious about agriculture in the region and at the same time we are also pushing to get people to start applying for lands and to get people moving towards developing the infrastructure so when that time comes people move quickly into the land and don’t have to wait for infrastructure. We are doing almost everything at one time.”
Meanwhile, further touching on development, Armogan said, that the government is looking at the possibility of building airports at two locations in Berbice – Skeldon and Rose Hall, Canje. “Those are two areas that are being looked at to build airstrips so that persons or small planes can come in, going into the Caribbean area and taking your produce very quickly into the Caribbean.”
Armogan also pointed out that a call centre is being constructed at the Palmyra Village, where hundreds are expected to be employed. “So we are trying as much as possible to get people employed because if people are not employed then monies will not be in people’s pockets and so the businesses will also suffer.”
