General News of Thursday, 25 February 2010

Source: GNA

Govt to establish MPs' Constituency Development Fund this year - Prez

Accra, Feb 25, GNA - President John Evans Atta Mills on Thursday gave the assurance that the Government would, this year, establish a Member of Parliament Constituency Development Fund.

"I am conscious that I made this promise in my State of Nation address last year, but we could not implement it in 2009. You have my assurance that this time round, it will be implemented."

President Mills, who announced this in his State of the Nation Address, said the Fund would be separate from the District Assemblies' Common Fund and added that the Government would also begin to construct and furnish standard constituency offices for all Members of Parliament in each of the 230 constituencies beginning from the farthest constituencies from the national capital.

Administrators of the offices, who would be engaged by the incumbent MPs, would also be paid a fixed monthly stipend, he said in the Address, which was under the theme: "Partners in Vision." He appealed to the Members of Parliament to facilitate the construction of their constituency offices by helping to acquire land for the execution of the projects.

President Mills said for the country to achieve the "Better Ghana" agenda, there was the need for Ministers, Members of Parliament and individual Ghanaians to exhibit a high level of self-discipline by being time conscious, punctual and responsible in the performance of their daily duties.

The President further appealed to event organizers to stick to their schedules and be time conscious in order to save time. On indiscipline on the roads, the President said the death tolls were not only saddening relatives, but was also placing serious economic consequences on the country and called on the Police Service to submit within the shortest possible time a blueprint for drastic reduction in road accidents.

"It is my hope, therefore, that our lawmakers will be committed apostles of time consciousness as we progress on the path to building a Better Ghana." 25 Feb. 10