Dionne Rose, Staff Reporter
SOME 20,000 PERSONS will be employed for three years under Phase II of the Lift Up Jamaica Project, Prime Minister P.J. Patterson announced recently.
The Prime Minister, who outlined the programme, in the House of Representatives said that $300 million of the funds would be used for the sanitation programme; $100 million for Kingston and St. Andrew; $50 million each for St. Catherine and St. James; and $100 million to be split among the remaining parishes.
The Urban Development Corporation (UDC) will have overall responsibility for identification of suitable projects, Mr. Patterson said.
He, however, noted that final selection will be done in collaboration with Members of Parlia-ment, community leaders and community-based organisations.
A ceiling of $5 million will be placed on the projects to be selected.
The Prime Minister said that the projects would be selected based on priority to the community and the communities buying into them.
Sanitation programmes will include the rehabilitation of toilets and bathroom facilities. Other projects will see improvement works to parks and streets; rehabilitation of community facilities, river training and the removal of zinc fences in the towns.
The Prime Minister said at least 40 per cent of persons selected to work under the programme would be women.
Persons, he said, would be guaranteed a stipend of $3,500 per week.
Those selected will have to meet strict criteria.
Among the criteria are: persons must be unemployed, they must be between the age of 18 and 35, must be trained under the programme, must reside in the community or the immediate environs where the project is located.
The programme is being funded through the Caracas Energy Agreement Fund at a cost of $2 billion.
