PS BOSO CLARIFIES NCRA’S POSITION ON CDF BILL GAZETTE
Permanent Secretary of Rural Development, Selina Boso in the middle signing papers. Photo: Courtesy of PMC.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development, Selina Boso has clarified government’s position on the Constituency Development Fund Bill, saying the primary reason for not gazetting the bill was the on-going work yet to be done on the draft CDF Regulations.
Mrs. Boso highlighted in a statement the CDF Bill is a government priority task clearly specified in the Prime Minister’s speech during the Leaders Prayer Breakfast last month.
She said six Provincial Governments have been consulted, and three provinces are yet to be consulted, and they are Malaita, Isabel and Guadalcanal provinces.
She adds the CDF Act 2013 was passed in March 2013, and an agreement was done by parliament for the development of the CDF Regulation as a way forward.
She adds a Bi-Partisan Committee was endorsed in July to work on developing the draft Regulation, which is now in place and currently used in the consultation process on how the fund can be managed and disbursed meaningfully.
She says the CDF Bill is scheduled to be tabled during the July/August Parliament sitting- the Bi-Partisan Committee is expected to resume its on-going meetings this month until June whereby the Bill will be passed to the Bills and Legislation Committee for scrutiny.
Meanwhile, Mrs Boso expressed her gratitude to the Malaita Ma’asina Forum on the article urging government to gazette the Bill.
She says it is crucial that our people are kept up to date with government’s direction in this important legislation especially in terms of proper managing of Constituency Development Funds for development and investment purposes.