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National Security Minister, Hon. Peter Bunting, has charged new recruits of the police force to maintain the highest standards of professional excellence, integrity and discipline in discharging their duties. He pointed out that the Government has been undertaking a wide range of initiatives aimed at transforming the force into a professional, accountable and resourceful body, which can effectively deliver on...

The Senate, on Friday (March 22), approved a Bill for the establishment of Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) as a semi-autonomous revenue authority. The Tax Administration Jamaica Act 2013 was piloted by Justice Minister, Senator the Hon. Mark Golding. He explained that the TAJ will be responsible for registration, taxpayer services, audit, investigations, assessments, collection, enforcement, legal representation, and various support...

An Agricultural Committee for St. Elizabeth was launched on March 21 by Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Roger Clarke. This Committee, comprising the 15 councillors in the parish, signals an alignment with the goals of the agricultural plan in the Vision 2030 national development plan, which has national food security and long term development as some of its goals....

The Senate on Thursday, March 21, passed a Bill to prosecute persons involved in the illegal lottery scam. Some 14 amendments have been made and it will be sent back to the House for approval. The Bill Law Reform (Fraudulent Transactions) (Special Provisions) Act addresses, among other things: obtaining any property or inducing any person to confer any benefit on...

Government is in the process of rolling out an islandwide broadband network to provide universal access to digital technology for all Jamaicans. Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, says this will be provided through the Universal Service Fund (USF). Mrs. Simpson Miller opined that more can be done to achieve the vision of Jamaica being “aknowledge-based and educated...

The National Housing Trust (NHT) has provided home grants totalling $43.2 million to help lower income contributors to purchase housing solutions in its newest scheme at Perth, Manchester. A total of 36 beneficiaries have received grants of $1.2 million to buy their lots. These funds were made available to persons earning no more than $10,000 weekly and who have been...

he St. Elizabeth Parish Council is to receive an additional $3 million to assist in the distribution of water to drought stricken areas in the parish. This was announced by Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Noel Arscott, at a meeting of the Council on March 21. With sections of the island suffering from drought conditions, concern was...

The National Housing Trust (NHT) has invested approximately $677.5 million in its first major housing development in Manchester. Located at Perth, the 592-acre development is just a few kilometers from the town centre of Mandeville. The Trust began the official hand over of service lots to the first 25, of 245 beneficiaries in Phase 1 of the development, on Wednesday,...

Some 10,000 residents from 27 districts in east rural St. Andrew are benefitting from the recent upgrading and equipping of the Mavis Bank Health Centre. The facility was refurbished at a cost of $20 million by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), with financial support from the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF), a project of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)....

Minister of Education, Rev. the Hon. Ronald Thwaites, said that an additional $1billion has been added to the upcoming budget for special and early childhood education. “We are adding it so that our little children can get the best…we wish we could do more,” the Minister stated. He was speaking at the official opening of the Accompong Basic School in...

Come Monday, March 25, the Mandeville outpost of the Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA), will begin to operate from more spacious and comfortable offices. The Registrar General’s Department (RGD) and PICA, on Thursday, March 21, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which will see the RGD facilitating some of PICA’s services at its regional office in Mandeville. Chief Executive...

The Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica (BCJ) wrapped up its sensitisation and awareness meetings in western Jamaica on Wednesday, March 20, with a successful session at Godfrey Stewart High School in Savanna-La-Mar, Westmoreland. More than 150 students took a break from the annual sports day activities to participate in the interactive one-hour session, where they were addressed by Executive Director of...