Government focuses on MTDP enablers

THE government has committed K4.17 billion to the medium term development plan enablers to fulfil its efforts to build a foundation for economic growth and prosperity.
Finance and Treasury Minister Peter O’Neill said the MTDP allocation was 53% of the government’s entire direct funding for next year’s budget.
He said it was a significant allocation and strongly demonstrated the government’s commitment to ensuring that the priorities identified were given adequate resources in order to begin the process of building the foundation for economic growth and prosperity.
O’Neill said that out of the K4.17 billion allocated, the education sector was allocated K1.45 billion, of which K1.07 billion would be funded through the recurrent budget to pay for salaries and wages and goods and services while K375.6 million would be funded through the Development Budget for critical project as the rehabilitation of education infrastructure.
He said the government’s expenditure on education was close to the target set in the Vision 2050 of 20% of internal revenue on education.
O’Neill said the government had given health the second biggest allocation of K841 million.
He said transport and law and order sectors had been allocated K757.7 million and K749.5 million respectively.
O’Neill said the balance of K374.7 million was allocated to the enablers for unlocking of land and utilities.
He said the government was allocating substantial funds towards universal access to quality primary and secondary education, improving health outcomes, improving law, and order and justice, establishing quality national transport corridors that connect the rural population to markets and services, higher and technical education to readdress the severe skills shortage within PNG’s labour force, the provision of key utilities of electricity, clear water and sanitation and communication and unlocking land for development.