Province to pass budget today

 MOROBE Governor Kelly Naru will hand down a record K373 million 2014 budget for the province today.

The budget was formulated by the provincial executive council and finalised last week, the governor’s office said.

Morobe will be the second province to pass its budget following Southern Highlands’ earlier this month. 

The announcement will take place at the Tutumang (provincial assembly building), according to Naru.

The governor is the province’s finance chairman and treasurer.

Naru said the budget would focus on revitalising key priority areas to ensure effective service delivery. 

“These include infrastructure development such as major roads, bridges, wharves and airstrips to empower rural Morobeans to be participants and recipients of the budget,” he said in a statement.

“The budget has initiatives to assist rural farmers under a freight subsidy scheme and a micro credit scheme for rural farmers.”

The governor said a rural flying doctor service to medivac sick and injured people to major hospitals and flying in medical supplies to rural outposts was also set for funding.

Naru said law and order would also be a priority and would get considerable funding.

Other priorities the governor highlighted included education, health, rural communication and rural electrification projects.