Simbu launches budget plan

THE Simbu provincial government launched its 2010 provincial budget implementation plan in Kundiawa last Friday.
Simbu Governor Fr John Garia presented nine vehicles, a rice mill, a wheat mill and several computers and office equipment for the different provincial divisions and announced different funding for district programmes.
He said the people from the six districts of the province had the right to know how money allocated to the province was expended to deliver services to rural areas.
He said for the first time, Simbu was ranked among the top three in terms of budget implementation.
Fr Garia called on local MPs from the districts to invest in impact project areas and apply transparency and accountability.
Simbu 2010 budget is K56 million, with K54 million from the National Government and K2 million to be raised internally.
Programmes which received funding announced by the governor were assembly services (K136,100), cabinet services (K368,600), governor’s office (K799,000), deputy governors office (K80,000), secretariat services (K11,000), administrative service (K138,000), revenue management (K142,400), administrators office (K10,000), project planning (K255,700) and provincial treasury (K24,000).
Local MPs who witnessed the launch were Gumine MP Lucas Dawa and Karamui-Nomane MP Posi Menai.