By Mortimer Yangharry
Eastern Highlands Province Governor Simon Sia has announced that funding for certain projects and other developmental agendas for the province will be thoroughly disbursed starting next week.
The delay in funding disbursement is due to the fact that the provincial finance office is still working on certain technical issues to get the relevant cheques printed after the massive K460 million yearly budget was presented to the Treasurer Ian Ling-Stucky earlier this month in Port Moresby.
Governor Sia announced that funding will be remitted to relevant projects already approved by the Provincial Executive Council (PEC) including the rolling out of the provincial government’s Small and Medium Sized Enterprise (SME) policy and school fee subsidy cheques for the eight (8) open electorates of the province.
He assured the people that once the technical inputs are rectified, the presentation of the school fee subsidy cheques to the respective 8 open Members of Parliament (MPs) will be disbursed accordingly starting next week.
Governor Sia clarified that due to the delay in the 2023 EHP Provincial Budget preparations the disbursement of government funding will be lately disbursed than anticipated.
“All the cheques will be presented to project contractors, SME applicants and the 8 Open MPs respectively once it is printed,” announced Sia.
Eastern Highlands Province shares provincial land borders with Gulf, Morobe, Madang, and Simbu provinces with a total population of approximately more than 500,000 people scattered over eight (8) open electorates that are geographically isolated making it a major challenge for past successive governments to deliver infrastructural developments overtime.
Governor Sia admitted that most people living in the remotest areas have missed out on basic government services, but his provincial government is now focused to link the unlinked areas that will make life easier for the rural people as they adapt to the changing world under the Connect PNG Road Program initiated by the Marape/Rosso Government.
