I expect budget 2021 to focus on pandemic but meet the needs of all sectors and people
With the 2021 Budget slated to be presented on Friday, Guyanese are waiting eagerly to see the reforms as promised by the People Progressive Party/Civic to bolster the economic environment, revive ailing industries, and enhance the socioeconomic welfare of the citizenry.
The budget this year will no doubt focus on the COVID-19 pandemic which is challenging the economy, and taking the lives of so many brothers and sisters. I hope the Government comes up with adequate resources to handle the finances as well as the interventions that are needed to fight this pandemic. Also, the Government needs to balance its work in the health sector by making sure that it finances its hallmark programmes for people who are suffering from long term illnesses and noncommunicable diseases.
Social sector initiatives should target our elderly folks as well as our vulnerable communities; public assistance should reflect significant increases. I expect budget 2021 to have a second round COVID19 cash grant; a food voucher of $10, 000 dollars, and a voucher for pharmaceuticals totaling $2, 000 and $30, 000 hard-cash for struggling families as a whole. This is outside of the round that targets families that are still waiting on the first and second rounds of the grants to be winded up.
On the capital side, the budget must continue to focus on building and upgrading the roads, bridges, pavements and other walkways. Special projects such as new and upgraded hospitals, schools and centers, and airports are welcomed too. I am sure the minister with responsibility for finance, Dr. Ashni Singh and other ministers of government, know what to do in their respective areas. This budget will sure be bigger than the last one. I just hope it is futuristic and innovative in meeting our needs, both short term and long term.
A real estate businessman was yesterday charged with forging a nowdeceased man’s signature.
Marlus Hendricks, 42, of Lot 2948 North Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was charged with fraud and placed on bail. He appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan who read the charge. It states that on July 17, 2019, at Georgetown, with intend to defraud, he forged a certain document to make an agreement purporting to be signed by Antoine Charles,
knowing forged.
Hendricks denied the charge. He was represented by attorney-at-law same to be
Clevon Humphrey, who informed the court that the matter was in the High Court and that two government analysts had evaluated the document and pronounced that the signature on the agreement was authentic. He added that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is aware of the analysts’ reports and suggested that the prosecution write the DPP asking that the charge be reconsidered.
The police prosecutor said that according to the facts in the matter, on the day in question, an agreement was made for Charles’ property to be sold and a payment of $50,000,000 in cash was then made. However, the deceased man’s son met with Hendricks after the man passed, on July 2, 2020. During the meeting the son was given a letter with the agreement attached to it and he noticed that the signature on the document appeared to be forged.
Hendricks was placed on $30,000 bail. The matter was transferred to Courts 8 & 9 and adjourned until February 16.
The Ministry of Health yesterday revealed that an 82year-old woman from Region Ten who was infected with COVID-19 has died.
According to a statement by the Ministry, the woman died at her home. When she was taken to a medical facility she was tested for the virus and the results returned positive. The death toll now stands at 182.
Meanwhile, according to the daily COVID-19 dashboard, 51 new cases were confirmed yesterday increasing the total number of positive cases recorded since March 2020 to 8092. Thirty-eight of the new cases are from Region Four, 5 from Region Ten, 3 from Region Seven, 1 from Region Eight and 2 each from Region Three and Nine. These cases were from 407 tests done yesterday.
The dashboard also revealed that there are now 8 persons in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 29 in institutional isolation, 749 in home isolation and 32 in institutional quarantine.