MP: Districts need more funds

SAMARAI-MURUA MP Isi Henry Leonard wants the Government to include an extra K2 million for logistics in the district services improvement programme (DSIP) funding for remote electorates throughout the country.
Leonard said yesterday that he was spending more than K250,000 from his annual DSIP funds to charter boats to transport material and equipment to deliver government services across his vast isolated maritime electorate in Milne Bay.
“The National Government needs to give an extra K2 million for remote districts for logistical expenses for air and sea transportation so we can use the full K10 million DSIP funding to concentrate on service delivery alone,” he said.
“That way, we don’t use funds set aside to deliver our respective health, education and other sectorial services.”
Leonard made the remarks when delivering K130,000 worth of relief food supplies to the remote islands of Egon, Yanemba, Nasikwabu and other islands as part of the Covid-19 relief efforts in his electorate.
“It is challenging to deliver this food and other services in my electorate so my district development authority (DDA) has proposed to buy a ferry from Malaysia for K7 million.”