President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali made the revelation during the sod-turning event on Tuesday, to commence the construction of the $6.6 billion modern regional hospital at Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice.
The head of state noted that the investments were made since his government assumed office on August 2, 2020.
“That is almost $300,000 for every single resident living in this area. Now, you may not see $300,000 in your pocket as a result of this investment, but you have a more efficient road system, and your children and the elderly have better infrastructure,” Dr Ali emphasised.Additionally, more than $6 billion was expended in agriculture there, as the government works towards positioning Region Five as a major food production hub.
Some $1.5 billion will be spent this year to further advance and develop the agriculture sector in the region.
“This region is going to be an important region for us when it comes to food production…That is $7.5 billion in agriculture, that is maybe another $200,000 per capita that we invest in agriculture,” said President Ali.
Meanwhile, in the education sector, almost $50 million was invested to distribute textbooks to every learner in the region and almost $84 million to support the breakfast programme in 28 schools.
Also, $319 million is being expended annually to support parents through the ‘Because We Care ’cash grant, $3 billion for pensioners, $23 million in water subsidy, $640 million in public assistance, more than $22 million to support persons living with disabilities among other initiatives aimed at assisting citizens.
“If you look at the direct investments that went into the pockets of people in this region alone, it is more than $15 billion and some of this is repeated every single year,”Dr Ali asserted.
As a result of the many investments being made by the government in the region, President Ali explained that the net value of residents’ properties will be increased to approximately $1 million.
“Your net asset value increases because as the infrastructure around you start to improve, new hospitals, new roads, treated water, and billions of dollars are being invested to ensure that every resident in this region will have treated water by the time we get to 2025 – 2026. What it does is that it takes up the net value of your property…that is not by guess or by the market force, there are things that influence the market force to give you a better value,” the head of state noted.
President Ali expressed too, that as his government continues to make strong investments, residents can be assured of a future that is sustainable and healthy, with billions of dollars in investments being made in the healthcare sector.
The administration has budgeted a mammoth $781.9 billion to further improve the lives of every citizen across the country and to further build prosperity. (Extracted from the Department of Public Information)
