KINGSTON, Jamaica — A sum of $200 million has been allocated to the National Works Agency (NWA) for river training, which will employ Jamaicans in rural Jamaica in necessary disaster mitigation work, protecting lives and livelihoods.

This was disclosed by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr Nigel Clarke, as he opened the 2021/22 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives yesterday.

“They will be involved in removing silt and other materials from sections of selected rivers, installing gabion basket retaining walls and related activities to improve the water flow and reduce the probability of flooding,” Clarke informed.

The provision falls under the $60-billion Social and Economic Recovery and Vaccine (SERVE) Programme for Jamaica.

Clarke said thousands of Jamaicans in rural Jamaica will be temporarily employed in these activities, adding that Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Everald Warmington, will provide further details on the programme at a later date.

Also under the SERVE programme, $160 million has been allocated to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development for the additional support of the destitute, indigent, and infirm through poor relief.

“This amount also includes $6 million in grants for persons working in burials, cremations and building of vaults for the funeral industry who are being affected by the current ban,” Clarke said.

Meanwhile, some $50 million has been allocated to the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport to provide further support to those in the entertainment and sporting fields, who continue to be hard hit by the pandemic.

Also, $189 million in additional COVID-19-related support has been allocated to the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) towards digital devices, in collaboration with e-Learning.

“After the appropriate process, initiated by the Member of Parliament, constituents would be provided with vouchers by e-Learning that can be used to purchase digital devices at approved vendors. We expect to provide 9,450 devices to persons in need who do not already have a digital device, through this special COVID-19 digital device allocation to the CDF,” Clarke said.

Some $140 million has also been allocated to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development for Municipal Corporations to provide digital devices in collaboration with e-Learning.

“After the appropriate process, initiated by the Councillor, constituents would be provided with vouchers by e-Learning that can be used to purchase digital devices at approved vendors. We expect to provide an additional 7,000 devices through this special COVID-19 digital device allocation,” Dr. Clarke said.

Other projects under the SERVE Programme include $40 million to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security for COVID-19 grants for the disabled community, and $75 million for 5,000 contract carriage operators who paid licence fees in 2020/21.

“The full amount of their road licence fees for 2021/22 will be paid by the Government, provided that they paid this fee in 2020/21.  They would have paid road licence fees to the Government in 2020/21 and would have had little or no business due to the pandemic,” the finance minister said.

In addition, some $75 million has been set aside for 15,000 route taxi operators who paid licence fees in 2020/21.

“The Government will pay 1/3 of the licence fee on behalf of every route taxi that was duly licensed and paid up in 2020/21. Due to the work-from-home measures, they have done little business,” Clarke said.