Govt to buy stress grading machine

Around $50,000 has been allocated to buy a stress grading machine, Minister for Fisheries and Forests, Osea Naiqamu, said in Parliament on Tuesday.

The equipment will enable the testing of structural properties of timbers sold here to comply with new requirements of the National Building Code.

Mr Naiqamu said the Silviculture Research Division at Colo-i-Suva had been allocated with a budget of $0.1million for the renovation of its Entomology Laboratory and Purchase of Microscope.

“Fiji continues to be free of the world’s major forest pests such as mahogany shoot borer and pine syrex,” he said.

“This will allow us to strengthen collaboration with Biosecurity Authority of Fiji in protecting our commercial forests,” he said.

Mr Naiqamu said Fiji’s fisheries and forests sectors were at a crucial point in their development; capitalising on new opportunities and addressing emerging challenges and risks related to natural disasters.

People with special needs up: Pillay

The number of people with special needs continues to increase in Fiji because of accidents and diabetic amputation, says Viam Pillay.

While delivering his response on the 2016-2017 national budget in Parliament on Tuesday, the Member of Parliament said there were more than a billion people living with some form of disability around the world.

He said hospitals in Fiji had a high record of amputees particularly those who suffered from complications of non-communicable diseases.

However, Mr Pillay said any person living with a disability did not mean disqualifying them from having access to many aspects of life.

“People with special needs must be treated as normal people capable of being productive and have potential to contribute to nation building.”

He said Government had carefully considered the needs of people with special needs and had ensured to look after them.

“This is reflected clearly in the 2016-2017 Budget including Government policies and proposed laws. The budget has taken concrete steps towards addressing the plight of people living with disabilities,” Mr Pillay said.

$200K for Colombo  consultative meet

Around $200,000 has been allocated for the 45th Colombo Plan Consultative Meeting, which will be held here later this year.

This was revealed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, in Parliament on Tuesday.

“We will be hosting the meeting for the first time since we became a member of the Colombo Plan Secretariat in 1972,” he said.

“Spearheaded by our mission in New Delhi, this conference augurs well for multi-lateral co-operation in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Ratu Inoke said the Colombo Plan was a 27-member regional organisation supporting intergovernmental efforts to strengthen economic and social development of member countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

He said the ministry was keen on building multilateral and bilateral development co-operation.

“Supporting the Colombo Plan meeting is one of the ways forward to achieving this,” Ratu Inoke said. Arieta Vakasukawaqa