More Amerindian land grant proposals under scrutiny
SN, Thursday, January 10th 2008
Government is considering proposals for village grants from 125
Amerindian communities. President Bharrat Jagdeo had said that a total
of $150M would be allocated to the communities and that larger
communities would get more money at the Toshaos' Conference held in
October.
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release
Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues, said so far her
ministry has received 40 proposals and it is checking the feasibility
of the projects before releasing the money.
She said that in 2005, the communities were given the liberty to choose
their projects, with the ministry's permission, but many of the
proposals were not sustainable. "This time we want to be careful in
choosing the projects so that the communities can benefit," she said.
According to the ministry's Project Director, Ronald Cumberbatch, the
grant is to assist the communities to develop their capacity to manage
projects as well as to provide capital for feasible economic projects.
According to GINA, some Toshaos and residents said they took more time
to draft their proposals because they wanted the money to be spent
wisely for the benefit of the communities. Some of the communities
intend to invest the money in a number of income-generating activities
already ongoing in the regions. In Region Nine, at Fairview, villagers
used the last grant to establish a shop and the money generated was
used to purchase a minibus for the community.
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