BASIL CALLS FOR IDGS TO BE DISBURSED TO DISTRICTS

By Sandra ULG

Member for Bulolo Sam Basil Jr has called on the government to allow Infrastructure Developments Grants (IDGs) to be disbursed direct to the districts.

He made this call in Parliament earlier this week.

In response to his call Prime Minister James Marape said IDG is technically a government grant to support infrastructure at the project areas in preparation to be host an important resource project development. It was a precedent established by the PNG LNG project under the National Alliance-led government for PNG LNG, and the Marape/Rosso government continues that precedent.

He says the government wants to make sure that the project areas infrastructure is ready, the landowners are ready, the province is ready for these projects to come in. And also in the process, build the infrastructure, get the local businesses up and running, ready to participate in the mine construction and mine development itself.

PM Marape says since they started IDG for Morobe the budget has been at K100 million every year, which has gone to the province for disbursements.

He adds that they have allocated K100 million in this year’s budget, and the community benefit agreement should drive the disbursement, when the community development agreement is called in the agreement it will detail exactly where the disbursement ratio is and where they should invest this infrastructure fund to key roads, school, electrification, health facilities in the project areas and in the district concerned so that the landowners and people in a major project area will benefit.