$1m allocation for Fiji disaster response
- Pays
- Fidji
- Sources
- PINA
- Date de publication
- Origine
- Voir l'original
As Fiji is susceptible to high intensity cyclones such as Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston, the Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development and National Disaster Management will have $1million (US$500,000) for immediate response to any disaster.
This would be to the Disaster Relief and Rehabilitation Fund while another $2m (US$1 million) would be for Disaster Risk and Climate Change Adaptation.
Assistant Minister for Agriculture, Rural and Maritime Development and National Disaster Management Joeli Cawaki praised the Finance Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum in Parliament Monday.
In particular his praise was on the allocation of funds for priority areas, which include education, health, infrastructure development and public utilities, water and sewerage, energy and electricity, information, communication and technology, agriculture, fisheries, forestry, climate change, women and children, youth and sports.
Cawaki said the ministry had funds for programmes such as self-help initiatives, rural housing assistance, non cane farm access roads, community capacity building programs, CBUL subsidy program for renewal of agricultural leases of iTaukei land, emergency water supplies program.
“Madam Speaker, the intentions of these programmes are to enable our rural and maritime communities to become resilient while at the same time empower them through allowing them to take ownership of the development planning process through a bottom-up approach,” Cawaki said.
The ministry will also conduct roadshows during this new financial year. While the ministry's total allocation is less than one per cent of the Government's $3.6b budget, Cawaki said they were content with the allocation and would continue to build, strengthen and enhance the growth of rural and maritime communities.
He said sectoral development programs for the rural and maritime communities were allocated to respective line ministries, departments and agencies thus the Government's commitment to these communities was more than the ministry's budget.
SOURCE: FIJI TIMES/PACNEWS