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Efforts at enhancing the resilience of the country’s agricultural sector and coastal areas have been shored up with an allocation of $11.75 million. This is set out in the 2013/14 Estimates of Expenditure currently before the House of Representatives. Through funding from the Adaptation Fund, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) is working to protect livelihoods and...

A total of $52 million has been allocated to the Caribbean Asset Recovery Project in the 2013/2014 Estimates of Expenditure, which is now before the House of Representatives. The project seeks to strengthen the Financial Investigative Division by providing technical assistance to build its criminal asset recovery capabilities in tackling serious crimes. It also purports to develop the capability of...

The academic capacity of students at seven primary schools in East Kingston and Port Royal is expected to be significantly boosted, through the provision 56 portable tablet computers, valued at just over $950,000, by telecommunications firm, Digicel Jamaica. Institutions benefitting from the 56 Huawei tablets are the Elletson Road Primary, Holy Rosary Primary, Norman Gardens Primary, Rollington Town Primary, Windward...

The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) is to spend $38.4 million this fiscal year to continue to promote sustainable development in traditional banana growing areas. This sum has been allocated in the budget for 2013/14, which will be examined by the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives, beginning April 9. The Banana Support Project, which is being funded...

The Government is providing $75 million this fiscal year for the strengthening of restorative justice services under the Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP) II. As contained in the 2013/14 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives, the money will go towards the retrofitting and refurbishing of three centres and the training of 2,500 agents in the delivery...

The Government has allocated $410 million for construction works under the Ministry of Justice. This is outlined in the 2013/14 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. Of the sum, $370 million will go towards the construction and improvement of courthouses; continuing Phase one construction of Justice Square; and completing renovations to a building on Hagley Park Road...

A total of 240 small farmers in eastern parishes are to benefit from loans this fiscal year to enhance agricultural production. These include some 80 banana and plantain farmers and 160 vegetable, Irish potato and onion farmers. The provision comes under the Agricultural Support Project, for which some $57 million has been set aside in the 2013/14 Estimates of Expenditure,...

The Government has allocated $34 million to continue its social intervention programmes, geared towards improving the lives of persons with disabilities (PWDs). This is outlined in the 2013/14 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project, which is being implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, aims to strengthen the capacity of the Jamaica Council...

Farmers will receive more assistance from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries this year, through an allocation of $127.4 million, which has been earmarked to improve irrigation management. This will increase production and the earning power of farmers across the island. As set out in details of the allocation, which is contained in the government's budget for the 2013/14 fiscal...

A sum of $1.4 million has been allotted to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security in the 2013/14 Estimates of Expenditure, to continue its effort to improve the working conditions of domestic workers across the island. The Advancing Decent Work for Domestic Employees programme aims to bring national laws, policies and practices into coherence with international standards, under the...

An additional $1.2 billion has been allocated in the 2013/14 Estimates of Expenditure, to continue the rehabilitation of infrastructure across the Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMA), which was damaged during the passage of Tropical Storm Sandy in 2010. The work, being implemented by the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing, under the Tropical Storm Nicole – KMA Drainage Project, seeks to...

A sum of $8.5 million has been allotted to the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems Modernisation Programme, in the 2013/2014 Estimates of Expenditure. The project aims to enable Jamaica to modernize its vital statistics and civil registration system. Project activities are designed to improve inter-agency co-ordination and communication, data collection, processing and management, and resource strengthening. In addition, the...