25 jobs, other investments for East Ruimveldt
Residents of East Ruimveldt, Georgetown are set to benefit from several interventions from the Government aimed at improving their quality of life, including jobs for 25 persons.
The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development would be employing those persons as Community Enhancement Workers (CEWS).
On Thursday, Minister Hon. Nigel Dharamlall, Minister of Public Works, Hon. Bishop Juan Edghill, and Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha met with the residents.
During the meeting, Minister Dharamlall pledged to create jobs there.
“From my standpoint, we will be investing close to a million dollars per month to those Community Enhancement Workers, and I will have appointed some team leaders as well, who will help to coordinate within East Ruimveldt.
But it will not just be limited to the ward, but the entire East Ruimveldt because the entire ward needs to be cleaned,” he said.
The initiative is in keeping with the Government’s manifesto promise of creating jobs for the youth. The process will commence as early as Friday, through the Community Development Council (CDC).
Some $1.1 billion had been set aside in the 2021 National Budget for the CEW programme, for the preservation and enhancement of communities. CEWs fall under the Community Infrastructure Improvement Project (CIIP) which started in 2014, and was modified in 2015, to decentralise resources to the Local Democratic Organs (LDOs).
Meanwhile, Minister Mustapha assured residents that his Ministry will also employ persons to conduct drainage and irrigation works in the community.
“I heard the Ministry of Local Government said that they would employ some people to do some enhancement work in the community and so we will also from our level at the Ministry, employ some people to do the drainage works in the community.”
A technical team from the Ministry will return to the community to identify the number of drains to be cleaned, and the number of persons needed for the project. In addition, Minister Mustapha also pledged to assist residents with kitchen gardens, citing the importance of the country’s agriculture sector.
Meanwhile, Minister Edghill said his Ministry will partner with the Agriculture Ministry to execute the drainage project, as there are 18,350 metres of drains that need to be cleaned. The Minister also urged residents to take personal responsibility and ownership of their communities.
“Development is a partnership; it is not just what the Government is doing. Development is a partnership. Government has responsibilities and people also have responsibilities.
For our own national pride, personal hygiene, self-respect and dignity, we shall revive the spirit of volunteerism, patriotism and let us get involved in some amount of clean-up. We also have to understand that when we do these things, we also have to maintain it because if we clean up,” he said.
The Public Works Minister also pledged to return to the community for the distribution of hampers in observance of the country’s upcoming 55th independence anniversary.