CORE programme being revamped to lead beautification of Guyana- Min. Edghill
-$30 million allocated for programme
Minister of Public Works, Hon. Bishop Juan Edghill on Friday said there will be a revamping of the Community Organised for the Restoration of the Environment (CORE) programme this year.
The Minister made the announcement during a meeting with the Lethem CORE group at the Lethem Airport.
Minister Edghill said over $30 million was allocated in Budget 2021 for the recapitalisation of CORE. The funds would be used to procure safety gear and other equipment for the groups to carry out their work.
Minister Edghill said CORE groups across the country will be restructured by the end of this month. Some areas will see an increase in personnel, while there will be a reduction in other areas. In other cases, some groups would be dissolved to make way for new ones. This will be done based on recommendations from the regional democratic organs.
“When I assumed office in August last year, I went across the country and I met with some of the CORE workers and some of the people who I met up in various parts of the country during the campaign doing political work…
When they were supposed to be doing Government work, they were doing political work and I’m making it very clear, I cannot tolerate that this time around…I cannot be paying people who don’t come to work,” Minister Edghill said.
He said people have had ample time to indicate whether they would like to continue to be employed by CORE and so, contracts for those who wish to work would be finalised within the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, CORE would be tasked with undertaking a beautification of Guyana programme as the country prepares to celebrate its 55th Independence Anniversary in May. The programme would be rolled out from April 1 and will see the cleaning, upgrading and planting of trees and flowers at recreational spaces and in Government compounds.
“We must set that as a benchmark and as a standard of how the country must look going forward. So, in every region across the country, CORE will be involved in doing that,” he said.
As it relates to the cleaning of the yards of senior citizens, pensioners, and persons in difficult circumstances, the CORE groups would collaborate with the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security – Board of Guardians. The Board would provide a list of pensioners and persons in the public assistance programme who are in need of the service.
The CORE programme falls under the Works Ministry’s Special Projects Unit. It is mandated to assist with environmental upgrades, drainage, sanitation, and improving the general aesthetics of villages.