By Eric Haurupma – EM TV News, Port Moresby
The establishment of Regional Directorate Offices across the country will link District Development Authorities with line agencies and the national government in Waigani.
Inter-Government Relations Minister, Joe Sungi, announced this during an event in Port Moresby.
During the recent launching of the revised 2014 to 2017 Department of Provincial and Local Government Affairs (DPLGA) Corporate Plan in Port Moresby, Department Secretary, Dickson Guina, highlighted that the government will continue to support and empower provincial and local level governments to carry out their mandated responsibility effectively.
The revised DPLGA corporate plan 2014 to 2017 will be a roadmap to work in partnerships with developing partners and line agencies to achieve changes, which are part of the government’s decentralised system.
Sungi said for far too long support to lower levels of government has been lacking, thus, a lack of capacity to deliver vital government services has resulted from this.
In light of this, the Vice Minister said the establishment of Regional Directorate Offices would effectively implement government policies and plans in a more relevant way, whether in decision-making or distribution of wealth to the people.
Sungi said that the O’Neill-Dion government recognises this by focusing its support directly to provincial and local level governments and allocating a significant portion of national budget into this sector.
With government plans to deliver greater decentralisation in core government areas in spending and decision-making, this has resulted in the creation of the District Development Authorities.
Sungi said this would align all national agencies with provincial and local level government and their administrations to deliver services to the people.
Meanwhile, he challenged DPLGA to set the standard as a leading organisation, in ensuring the effective flow of government services into the rural areas.
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