Ejura-Sekyedumase Assembly increases revenue

Ejura (Ash), April 2, GNA- The Ejura-Sekyedumase district assembly raised its revenue from 552.9 million cedis in 2002 to 639 million cedis out of its target of 755 million cedis for 2003.

Madam Elizabeth Owusu, the District Chief Executive, who disclosed this, attributed the increase in revenue mobilisation to the constant checks on the trial balance by the assembly's revenue committee and strict supervision from the revenue heads. Addressing the second Session meeting of the Assembly at Ejura in Ashanti, Madam Owusu said the assembly received a little over one billion cedis for the fourth quarter allocation of the common fund for last year.

A greater percentage of the money, she said, went into education, health, water and sanitation. The DCE said the district had received its share of 25 million cedis for the implementation and the establishment of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). She said for the scheme to succeed, there was the need to educate the public and to encourage individual participation and increase contributions.

Madam Owusu called on assembly members to join hands with the committee on the NHIS to ensure the smooth implementation of the scheme. Preparation of the land for the African Development Bank (AfDB) assisted Rice Development Project to commence at Aframso was far advanced, the DCE announced. She said identifiable farmers would be given inputs in the form of credit to enable them to start with the planting of hybrid rice after the preparation of the land.

Madam Owusu said the assembly had instituted a district mock examination for all final year Junior Secondary School candidates. She lauded the sense of maturity, which characterised the just-ended voters' registration exercise in the district and hoped it would be translated into the elections in December.