Poverty programme
A sum of $5.7B is to be spent over the next five years on community-based projects such as roads, health, education, drainage and irrigation, environmental enhancement and waste management as part of SIMAP III and BNTF V.

The government is also providing $200M for poverty alleviation, and the Linden Economic Advancement Project will provide $200M as well for micro credit, vocational training and business incubators at Linden, among other activities.

The American Development Fund is providing $50M for agricultural development, land demarcation and the purchase of equipment while the Youth Choice Initiative Programme will provide $35M for small community projects and training youths in technical and vocational skills.

A text book programme targeting the poor is budgeted at $310M for the core subjects of maths, english, social studies and integrated science for primary and secondary school students.

There is also $100M for a school feeding programme.

Health
Kowlessar said that $1.2B would be spent on a nutrition programme to start this year. This programme would promote breast feeding among lactating mothers of babies between zero and six months as well as providing nutrients for young children and pregnant mothers. A food coupon scheme is to be introduced for lactating mothers from poor families. The reduction of anaemia would be targeted as well as training of health care workers.

The Ministry of Health is to execute a $600M HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and health information systems project to strengthen the prevention, control and management of sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS.

The sum of $370M has been budgeted to construct an in-patient ward and to purchase medical equipment for the Georgetown Public Hospital. Constructing a new hospital at New Amsterdam will commence with financing from the Japanese government. A number of health facilities are to be repaired. The sum of $145M is to be spent on rehabilitation and purchasing medical equipment for health centres or posts in West Demerara, Bartica, Pomeroon, Timehri, Bamboo Creek and Morashee.

Education
Implementation of the $7.3B Basic Education Access and Management Sys-tem would commence. Phase one would cover Bygeval Multilateral, Bladen Hall Multilateral, North Ruimveldt Multilateral, and Lodge Secondary, Charlestown Secondary, Tutorial High, Bartica Secondary, Parika/ Salem Secondary, Wales Secondary, Aurora Secondary and Aishalton Secondary schools.

Existing programmes for teacher training and institutional support would continue. Rehabilitating schools would continue to the tune of $325M and an additional $350M on other education facilities. The government has also provided $479M for formal, informal and on the job training in the sector.

Agriculture
The government finally secured an Italian Line of Credit to procure over $900M worth of heavy, earth-moving equipment to accelerate its drainage and irrigation programme. Under the $1B IDB financed agricultural sector support project, Kowlessar says the government would conduct design and feasibility studies of existing and new D&I areas, reorganize land management and administration systems among other issues.

Other D&I work programme for this year include two diesel pumps at Mibicuri and Dawa; sluices for Belfield, Westbury and Leguan; rehabilitating sluice at Golden Fleece and canals at Manarabisi and rehabilitating drain-age structures in Pomeroon, Lima, Dartmouth, Reliance, Wakenaam, Leguan, Herstell-ing, Plaisance, Buxton, Mahaica, Bellamy, Whim/ Lancaster and Linden.

An amount of $533M was earmarked for work on vulnerable stretches of sea defence this year and cover Profit/Foulis, Tuschen, DeKinderen, Hague, Johanna Cecilia, Buxton, Annandale, Bush Park, Gangaram, Blenheim and Nos 76-83 villages.

Kowlessar said the government also expected to complete negotiations with the Caribbean Development Bank this year for a loan for $582M to reconstruct 300 meters of sea defence at Profit/Foulis. He said the government intended to undertake a comprehensive programme of shorezone management as part of its long-term plant to protect its sea defence infrastructure.

Roads
The government would spend $1.3B to resurface the Mahaica to Rosignol road this year. It has also commissioned a feasibility study on an alternative access road from the city to Timehri and intends to commence design work for the rehabilitation of the Corentyne Highway from New Amsterdam to Moleson Creek.

Construction of the four lane highway from the Demerara Harbour Bridge leading into the city will also commence as well as the resurfacing of that bridge, the Houston bypass road and parts of Mandela Avenue. The West Demerara Road will be widened and rehabilitated between the Harbour Bridge and Best Hospital.

The sum of $470 million would be spent on a number of community roads and the bridges rehabilitation programme will start.

The airport runway is to be resurfaced with $798M budgeted to start this. And $62M is to be spent on coastal and hinterland airstrips. Monies are also budgeted for river dredging.

Telecommunications
The government expects its US$22.5M telecommunications project to provide access to internet for every household and simplifying access of government services to be implemented.

Power
The government intends to pursue alternative sources of energy and to push ahead with its rural electrification programme bringing an additional 40 000 household power supply.