The Interior Minister Nikos Nouris called on DISY voters to work for the election of Averof Neophytou, whom he described as a man of solutions and consensus, who implements innovative proposals and creates partnerships.
In an address on Saturday at an event organised in Choirokoitia by the local government directorate of DISY, the Interior Minister said that the government of Nicos Anastasiades and the Democratic Rally recognise that our communities and municipalities are the cell of this state and the attention to them is too much.
Never before has there been a government that has been so concerned with local government from the primary to the secondary level , he said.
The Minister said that at the moment 297 million euros of projects are underway from the National Budget for rural areas and another 28 million is from the Ministry's budget.
We have a very large number of actions from the National Strategy for the Development of Mountain Communities where 194 of the 250 actions costing a total of 367 million are already in the process of implementation and of course this year alone in the first half of the year the Ministry of Interior is allocating an additional 5 million from its budget for small mature projects for which the community leaders are asking the Ministry to implement them precisely because there is this need, he said.
Nouris said that this year the project to replace all light bulbs in the communities was completed at a cost of 22 million, which will reduce operating costs by 65% in lighting. From this year, he added, we are restoring the state sponsorship to the 2013 levels for the communities which will increase from 75 to 98 thousand euros.
The Minister also said that the sponsorship to the Union of Occupied Communities of Nicosia has been increased to 25 thousand euros and to the Union of Displaced Communities of Famagusta by 10 thousand euros to reach 20 thousand euros ,with the commitment that in 2023 it has already been budgeted and will also reach 25 thousand euros.
As for the monthly allowances and the payment of the 13th salary of the community leaders of the occupied communities, he said that from 2019 a specific allowance equal to 50% of the allowance received by the community leaders in the free areas is granted.
I am in a position to inform you today that a proposal has been prepared which I will forward to the Council of Ministers once I have the agreement of the Minister of Finance, which follows the same logic of granting a pension compensation on the basis of the percentage formula that exists and applies to the Union of Municipalities, i.e. granting 50% of the pension as enjoyed by the mayors in the occupied areas, he said.
Elsewhere in his speech, he said that the way the Government is operating gives a clear message that the choice for all of us is a one-way street in terms of trust in a Democratic Rally Government.
We are not into wishful thinking, we are people of works and deeds. The Minister said.
Mr. Nouris spoke of false goals and added that the management of the government of President Anastasiades with the exclusive support of the Democratic Rally in the last five years, showed that the management was made possible due to the presence of Averof at the helm of DISY and supporter of the policies of the government.
I therefore call on you to work as we Synergyists know how to do to bring Averoff to the Presidency of the Republic, so that the Cypriot people can continue to enjoy all that they enjoy today, he concluded.
Source: CNA
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