MTDP enablers increase to K13bil

THE government’s key medium term development plan (MTDP) enablers have an increase of 10% to K13 billion in the 2013 Budget.
Its K2.4 million deficit overall is expected to continue over the next two years and should reach surplus by 2017.
However, the budget has seen an increased in the development and capital funding for higher priority programmes in the MTDP enabling areas.
In the 2013 Budget, the key enablers received K7.584 billion compared with K5.026 billion in 2012.
By priority enablers, education received K2.3 billion, health K1.3 billion, infrastructure K2.6 billion, law and order K1.1 billion and lands K281 million bringing the total to K7.6 billion.
Meanwhile, the non-MTDP enablers received K3.6 billion.
Access to quality primary and secondary education through the 2013 Budget is K857.9 million, which includes K50 million funding to cover Grades 11 and 12.
This includes a subsidy of K652 million: K30 million for school curriculum materials, K22.2 million for secondary schools science equipments, K18.7 million for community school operations (NCD), K11 million for exams and K10.5million for national high school operations.
Teachers’ salaries increase by K100 million, from K605.7 million in 2012 to K706.5 million next year and basic education function grants increase to K76.6 million from K59.5 million.
In the higher and technical education, there is an increase from K118.2 million to K120.8 million, which includes K33.2 million in the Office of Higher Education funding for TESAS and K6.5 million for scholarships. There is a net increase of K2.5million to universities for salaries and K3.5 million for University of PNG debt servicing.
A total of K199.4 million is allocated to the transport sector to connect rural populations to market and services while K169.6 million is allocated to Works for goods and service. This includes K96 million under Works for roads.
The health sector will receive K719.2 million (K646million in 2012) for goods and services and K69.5m for salaries while the hospitals get K427.6 million.
Law, order and justice improvement will receive K721.7 million, a reduction from the K860.6 million allocation in the 2012 – due to the one-off funding for the 2012 elections.
It was also revealed that the government debt was expected to increase by 74% by 2017, with the majority occurring in 2013 and 2014.