Thirty-one rural dwellers yesterday received refunds under the Government’s rural electrification community contribution refund programme at the Fiji Meteorology Office in Vatuwaqa, Suva.

Minister for Local Government, Housing and Infrastructure Parveen Kumar, while speaking at the presentation, said Government had announced to bear the full costs of the electrification project this year during the 2015 Budget announcement.

“This payout is basically the deposit that was done by the individuals and the communities for the rural electrification project,” he said.

Mr Kumar said there would be two other payouts in Nausori and in the Western Division in the next few weeks.

The recipients, mainly from Rewa, Naitasiri, Kalabu and Valelevu rural areas, had earlier paid their one third contributions towards the rural electrification project.

Mr Kumar also apologised to the recipients for the delay in the arrangements of the refund and assured them that the projects would be completed by September.

He said the first payout amounted to around $25,000 out of the approximate $700,000 that was expected to be paid out soon.

The electrification project aims to extend the Fiji Electricity Authority (FEA) electrical grid to benefit rural areas around the country without electricity.

Edited by Naisa Koroi

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