Only Supreme Court can decide on constituencies

Asamankese, Jan. 22, GNA- A government's Spokesman on Finance and Economic Affairs, Nana Ohene Ntow, has said it was the Supreme Court which had the authority to pronounce on the constitutionality or otherwise of the proposed creation of 30 new constituencies by the Electoral Commission (EC).

He was answering a question on the recent debate on the decision by the Electoral Commission to create 30 new constituencies at a People's Assembly at Asamankese on Tuesday.

The West Akyem District Chief Executive, Mr Umar Amoah, who denied that there was favouritism in the granting of loans from the Poverty Alleviation Fund announced that there were 6,000 applications which were receiving attention by a committee.

He called on those who have defaulted in re-paying the loans granted them to pay back, warning that their names would be published next month to be followed by prosecution in March.

Mr Amoah explained that 318 million cedis had been disbursed as loans last year, while 450 million cedis was ready for disbursement to applicants.

The Eastern Regional Minister, Dr Francis Osafo-Mensah, said the government was fulfilling its election promises and said the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was the "greatest thing that will happen to the country in recent years."

He said it was necessary for all adults to join the mutual health insurance schemes in their districts, saying the registration of membership would begin in the West Akyem district in February. He said the "cash and carry" system had proved to be a financial burden, which he said, the insurance scheme would replace in order to bring relief to members.