The people of Duke of York Local Level Government in East New Britain are happy recipients of a K1.65 million funding support from the Department of National Planning & Monitor.
This week the Minister for National Planning and Monitoring, Reinbo Paita officially handed over the cheque during a commissioning ceremony of schools' solar kits at Kabilomo Primary School at a cost of K200,000 funded by Kokopo district.
The funding will go towards vital projects in the LLG wards and the breakdown of the funding is as follows:
- K500,000 re-construction of Molot Health Centre at Kibil
- K500,000 towards white copra freight subsidy
- K300,000 towards the 52 churches on the Island
- K100,000 towards church women's groups
- K120,000 for all 12 primary schools
- K100,000 set for the islands only high school and
- K130,000 to the islands only vocational centre.
An additional support of K300,000 was also allocated to DOY LLG as an immediate assistance.
Prelude to the official ceremony Minister Paita attired in red laplap was accorded a traditional Tolai welcome ritual performance by Tubuans befitting a Tolai chief.
He told the people that it was not easy for Members of Parliament to source funding especially when 111 MPs were all trying to get their share from the government purse.
Minister Paita commended Kokopo MP, Emil Tammur for the solar kit project and the department also allocated K180,000 to buy 6000 solar lights to supply to all others schools on the island.