A whopping $300 million in presidential grants were given to 220 Amerindian villages and communities in 2021. The grants were used to boost the economies of villages and enhance the lives of Amerindians through a variety of projects.
These include developing agricultural enterprises such as cattle and poultry rearing, cash crop farming, tourism ventures, village offices, and roads. The presidential grants were a major boost to the development of the Amerindian people as some communities received up to $5 million.
The programme was first started in 2007 by the then PPP Government. Apart from the grants, the Government has implemented several other initiatives to boost the economies of Amerindian villages and by extension, the peoples’ lives.
Last year, the Government procured 112 tractors along with ploughs and harrows at a total cost of $446 million, to boost agriculture production and ensure food security for Amerindians.
Since the PPP/C Government assumed office in August 2020, it has embarked on a number of projects aimed at bettering the lives of the country’s first people.
For instance, in the last few months of 2020, the Government prepared the groundwork for re-energising the Amerindian Land Titling programme to achieve its original target to title 68 villages. To this end, $630 million was allocated in Budget 2021 to expedite the granting of titles to Amerindian villages.
Additional hardships were meted out to hinterland
Pauline Sukhai
communities when almost 2000 Community Service Officers (CSOs) were unceremoniously fired and the stipend of $30,000 monthly, approved by the previous PPP Government, was discontinued under the APNU/AFC regime.
In keeping with its manifesto promise of delivering better Government services to Amerindians, four months after assuming office, the Government resuscitated the CSO programme, by re-engaging over 500 CSOs, providing them with the previously established stipend of $30,000 monthly.
The PPP Administration also trained 46 CSOs in ICT skills in 2020, returning support to the development of once-neglected Amerindian communities. The Government has pledged to continue to create employment opportunities for Amerindians.
