Author: SKNISEditor

Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 17, 2020 (SKNIS): During her support of The Appropriation (2021) Bill, 2020, on Thursday, December 17, Minister of International Trade, Industry, Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Labour, the Honourable Wendy Phipps, highlighted some of the upcoming projects her ministry has in store for 2021.For 2021, the recurrent expenditure projected for the ministry is $4,673,747 with a capital expenditure projected at $670,000. The budgetary allocation in total, both recurrent and capital expenditure, is $5,343,747. Minister Phipps stated that throughout the year the ministry will be using its funding for the continuing expansion of services being provided by the…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 17, 2020 (SKNIS): The Ministry of Health is accelerating its efforts to build out and fully execute its Health Information System at all hospitals and community-based institutions to address the gaps in communication for an enhanced client information and referral system within the health sector, says Minister of Health, the Honourable Akilah Byron-Nisbett. The Minister was at the time speaking during the Budget Debate on` The Appropriation (2021) Bill, 2020, on December 16. She stated that the process has already commenced with additional employment and retraining of staff in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology. “The Ministry…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 17, 2020 (SKNIS): A number of capital projects will be undertaken by the Ministry of Health in 2021, says Minister of Health, the Honourable Akilah Byron-Nisbett, during her Budget presentation on The Appropriation (2021) Bill, 2020, on Wednesday, December 16. Minister Byron-Nisbett stated that these projects are intended to support aspects of the Ministry’s ongoing work to provide quality health care to the population of St. Kitts and Nevis. One of the projects highlighted by the Minister was the construction of the new health centre in St. Peter’s. “The expectation is that this health centre and this facility will be…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 17, 2020 (SKNIS): The Ministry of Health, having engaged in robust outreach activities to reduce the incidence and impact of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), has realised significant returns, says Minister of Health, the Honourable Akilah Byron-Nisbett. Minister Byron-Nisbett announced this during the Budget presentation on The Appropriation (2021) Bill, 2020, on December 16. “Our epidemiological statistics have revealed that over the period 2015 to 2020, the incidence of new cases of diabetes and hypertension has decreased by 46.9 percent for diabetes and 44.7 percent for hypertension,” she said. “Mr. Speaker, yes this is indeed incredible data.” The Minister added that the…

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, December 17, 2020 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Leader of the Opposition, the Right Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas, was again chided for his poor representation of the people, when he delivered what has been described as an ‘empty response’ to the $867.9 million 2021 Budget presented by Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris on Tuesday, December 15. Onthe second day of the Budget debate, the opposition leader spent most of his allotted time to respond to the Budget by launching attacks at the hugely successful Peace Initiative -…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 17, 2020 (SKNIS): Vehicular traffic flow in downtown Basseterre will be streamlined further in the coming weeks as the government moves forward with Phase 2 of the Traffic Control System. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Infrastructure, the Honourable Shawn Richards, noted that technicians from Jamaica are currently on the island to assist with the project.Seven additional areas have been identified for the second phase. Honourable Richards highlighted the intersections where the additional traffic lights will be installed on Wednesday (December 16) while contributing to the Budget Debate in the National Assembly.These are the junction by Wellington…

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, December 17, 2020 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – With the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic expected to spill over into the year, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has taken the proactive decision to extend nine of the 17 measures outlined in its comprehensive $120-million stimulus package introduced in March of this year. This was one of the major initiatives outlined by Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, when he presented the tax-free 2021 Budget on Tuesday, December 15. Thenine stimulus interventions that were extended are: Theremoval of…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 17, 2020 (SKNIS): The COVID-19 Pandemic has changed the way consumers shop online and has expedited the shift towards a more digital world. As such, many more persons in St. Kitts and Nevis have adopted the practice of conducting their business online.Minister of Health and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) et al., the Honourable Akilah Byron-Nisbett, spoke to the increased use of online services during her debate on day two of the Appropriation (2021) Bill, 2020, on Wednesday, December 16 at the Parliamentary Chambers at Government Headquarters.“Mr. Speaker, over the last nine months or so, St. Kitts…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 17, 2020 (SKNIS): Despite the extremely devastating impact on the tourism and transport sector by the dreaded COVID-19 Pandemic, the Ministry of Tourism, Transport and Ports remains committed to all stakeholders.This was according to the Honourable Lindsay Grant, Minister of Tourism Transport and Ports while lending his support to the Budget Debate on day three, December 17, 2020.“This industry Mr. Speaker has been severely affected and I dare say it may have been the most hard-hit industries by this global pandemic. But despite the turbulent times, and the setbacks, however, the Ministry of Tourism, Transport and Ports…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 16, 2020 (SKNIS): The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis will keep a watchful eye on the consumer price index (CPI) in the twin-island federation as business entities and consumers continue to adapt to the challenges of life amidst a global pandemic. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), the CPI measures the rate at which the prices of consumption goods and services change from month to month (or from quarter to quarter). Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, referenced the need to keep a check on prices while presenting The Appropriation…