Chimbu to put more focus on districts, LLGs

The National Main Stories

By LUKE KAMA
Chimbu will this year cut down on expenditure at the provincial level and focus on districts and local level governments, Governor Michael Dua says.
Dua said this when presenting the 2019 budget of K220 million to Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Charles Abel in Port Moresby on Friday.
The total budget of K220,382,983 consists of:

  • K40 million as functional grants;
  • K91.7 million for personal emoluments;
  • K70 million as service improvement programme funds. This includes provincial services improvement programme funds and district services improvement programme funds;
  • K1.7 million for local level governments;
  • K8.4 million in 2018 rollover funds; and,
  • K8.2 million in internal revenue projection.

“Our budget focus for this year is cutting down on operational and administrative expenditure at the provincial level (administration) and direct all funding and resources to programmes and projects that will be implemented by districts and LLG officers,” Dua said.
“The district and LLG officers are the frontline in service delivery to our rural populace.
“They know the situation and the problems better than those of us at the provincial and national level.”
Dua said more than 60 per cent of the budget would be implemented in the districts.
He said one of their priorities was to open up Karamui as an agriculture and economic hub for the province.
“We will continue to support the construction of Karamui-Kundiawa.”