The Lagaip-Porgera district in Enga Province has presented its massive K146,618, 639.68 budget for the 2018 fiscal year.
The budget targets infrastructure development, ageing health, education, escalating law and order issues and economic sectors that had been neglected by successive governments.
The Lagaip-Porgera District Development Authority chairman and local MP, Tomait Notassi Kapili, presented the budget to the Department of Implementation & Rural Development (DIRD) in Port Moresby last Thursday (April 19).
Kapili said DDA board was unable to prepare a supplementary budget for the last quarter of 2017 after the national elections.
He stated that the former administration and the DDA had used all District Services Improvement Program (DSIP) and District Support Grants (DSG) for 2016 and the beginning of 2017.
“No rollover funds have been identified. My office is unable to trace any funds for the districts, as most of the information were either deleted or destroyed and no manual files from the district finance section to ascertain the financial status of the district.”
Kapili said as a result, the acquittal reports of 2016 and 2017 could not be furnished to DIRD and Department of Finance in compliance to the Public Finance Management Act.
Kapili revealed that the budget will basically focus on commodity road infrastructure developments in the districts and renovations and improvements to the district headquarters, among others.
The funding sources will come from the Government of PNG (DSIP & DSG), PJV’s Tax Credit Scheme and other donors for effective service delivery.
“As being a first term MP, I will seek breathing space to recoup our DSG and present acquittal reports prior to the release of the next DSG, including DSIP earmarked for 2018 to supplement its programs and projects,” he said.
He reiterated that strict fiscal discipline in management of the budget must be maintained during these tough economic times.
Kapili, who is also the Vice Minister for Public Enterprises & State Investments, presented a draft copy of Lagaip-Porgera District Development Plan 2018-2022 for DIRD’s input and amendments.
Lagaip-Porgera is a huge electorate in the Enga Province, with a population of over 300,000. It has six local level governments, two district administration offices located at Laiagam and in Porgera with two district managers.
DIRD Acting Secretary Aihi Vaki commended the Lagaip-Porgera district administration and its DDA board for the timely presentation of their budget.
“The 5-year development plan and budget are the important perquisite for any development funds to be released by the government. These documents tell us what the DDA development priorities are, and they also become our initial monitoring tools when we go out for our inspection patrol,” Vaki stated.
“The plan must also be consistent with National Planning Act, Medium Term Development Plan 3, Vision 2050 and other enabling polices that focused more towards National Service Delivery Framework; working without a development plan is seen as wastage of limited resources.”