Members of the Sissala West District Assembly in the Upper West Region have kicked against borrowing from the Persons With Disability (PWDs) account.
The members said the fund belonged to poor and vulnerable group of persons and should always be disbursed expressly to the beneficiaries in order to avoid the temptation of borrowing.
The members who kicked against the practice at the second ordinary meeting of the Assembly in Gwollu, said the law frowned on borrowing of the fund and should be adhered to.
Other issues that featured prominently in the deliberations of the house included the issue of fertiliser smuggling, illegal logging of rosewood, security and auctioned Assembly properties.
The Assembly members suggested the tightening of security at the various borders and surveillance on unapproved routes to check the issues of fertiliser smuggling and illegal logging of rosewood in the district.
Members also impressed upon the Assembly’s secretariat to furnish it with list of items auctioned, the cost per item and the total amount realised to satisfy transparency, probity and accountability.
Earlier, addressing the meeting, Mohammed Bakor, the District Chief Executive, said the assembly received GH¢48, 911.63 as its share of the Disability Common Fund for the first quarter of 2019 with a total amount of GH¢63, 936.00 disbursed as support and assistance to 156 PWDs in areas such as education, rearing, farming, equipment, health and social.
He disclosed that “the assembly also received an amount of GH¢260, 959.08 as its share of the District Assembly Common Fund for the first quarter of 2019 and used to support and assist on-going projects and programmes of the assembly.
“Assembly’s performance in revenue mobilisation improved quite remarkably as it was able to realise GH¢185,579.61 by the end of July, 2019 representing 82.12 per cent of estimated target and was being earmarked to be expended on capital projects such as rehabilitation of markets in Gwollu, Zini, and Fielmuo.
“An amount of GH¢2,400,000.00 was received under the Ghana Productive Safety Net Project with a work plan covering four areas namely, small earth dams, dug-outs, feeder roads, nurseries and plantations have already been submitted for approval.
“The 37 out of the 50 boreholes under the Water and Sanitation Project have already been drilled, and I call for continued cooperation, assistance and support from assembly members to ensure the completion of the project,” Mr Bakor noted. -gna.org
