The country’s over 100,000 government workers are to benefit from cash rewards at select private sector establishments through the ‘Team Jamaica Valucard’ programme. The initiative,  launched at the Super Shoppers Fair complex on Washington Boulevard on October 30, will see civil servants being rewarded with cash back benefits whenever they use the card to access goods and services at any...

A parenting assessment tool developed and being tested by the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC), is proving that lack of effective parenting is responsible for many of the behavioural problems being exhibited by children. Executive Director of the NPSC, Dr. Patrece Charles-Freeman, said the data is showing that many parents “are not creating structures at home for their children, they...

The Government is preparing residents living in and around the Blue and John Crow Mountains World Heritage Site, to tap into the economic value of the area. “For example, we are exploring partnership with the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) to develop craft industries by strengthening the product and marketing capabilities of the local communities,” said Prime Minister, the Most...

The National Family Planning Board (NFPB) is reporting a significant decline in the prevalence rate of Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) among sex workers. A recent sex worker survey done by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) showed that the rate has dropped from 12 per cent to 2.9 per cent. Director of Health Promotion and Prevention at the NFPB, Andrea...

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Paula Llewellyn, is calling on Jamaicans to be vigilant in looking out for signs of child abuse, even within in their own families, and to be courageous in reporting any such incident. She made the call, while responding to questions at a human rights forum held on October 29, at the University of Technology’s (UTech)...

The Government is aiming to make Jamaica the leading country in the Caribbean in the use of renewable energy, while significantly reducing energy use across the public and private sectors. Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, cited the Wigton Wind Farm expansion project in Manchester, work underway in Clarendon to  create the largest solar facility in...

Commuters who travel on the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) buses now have another cashless and convenient option to pay their fares. The new device dubbed, ‘Prepaid Smarter Card’, is intended to be an alternative to cash and the Smarter Cards will be sold in values of $300, $600, $900 and $1,800. The prepaid card will be distributed by Transaction...