For this year, Gazelle District will set aside 10 percent of its district services improvement program funding to empower its five local level governments.
Member for Gazelle and Health Minister, Jelta Wong, revealed this recently during the approval of this year’s development budget at the last District Development Authority board meeting at Kerevat.
The budget is worth K35, 489, 810.
Minister Wong said from the 2020 DSIP, K500,000 each will be allocated to the five LLGs – Central Gazelle, Toma-Vunadidir, Reimber-Livuan, Lassul-Baining and Inland Baining.
Out of that K500,000, 10 percent or K15,000 will be allocated each to administration and president support and 4 percent or K20,000 for project mobilisation.
Minister Wong explained that in health, each LLG was looking at receiving K92,000 and will be looking after aid posts, education K92,500 to cater for elementary schools, transport infrastructure K150,000 to cater for LLG feeder roads, law and justice K45,000, economic and agriculture K45,000 and community development K25,000.
“As an MP I would like to see LLGs empowered and Gazelle District this year will trial out this initiative so we continue to empower LLGs to make decisions over identified impact projects at the respective LLG level,” Minister Wong said.
He said these monies will not be paid to LLGs but kept at the district level. LLGs will endorse projects that will undergo vetting process at the district level and go through the DDA board, where LLG presidents will support those projects endorsed by their respective LLGs to be approved then implemented. Monies will be paid out from the district to service providers.
Minister Wong told the DDA board meeting that this was not giving money to the presidents but would be guided by an administrative guideline and Public Management Act so any decisions made must comply with all regulations and Acts.
He told LLG presidents that this should not should not stop them from raising internal revenue at their respective LLGs.
Gazelle District received a total of K8 million of its DSIP fund last year, with the remaining K2 million anticipated this year.
Minister Wong highlighted that K2 million from former years will be used to settle debts incurred from 2016 to 2018.
“We want to start off on a clean slate and pay off service providers who actually did the work and still need to be paid,” he said.