Guyanese happiness index increased this season – Minister Edghill

Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill has expressed that Guyanese are now more than ever poised to celebrate Mashramani this year as they are in merry spirits. The Minister made these sentiments known during a radio interview on Friday in the mining town of Linden, Region Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

“[The] people’s happiness index has risen to a new level…you might still have some gripers and complainers, but people are practically more comfortable. People have more disposable income, things are happening for people. Once things are happening for people, [their] happiness and joy manifests itself in different ways,” Minister Edghill Highlighted.

The Minister went on to justify his claim by pointing to the provisions and implementations that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic government has made over the last four years.

He made specific reference to provisions made for residents of Region Ten, pointing out that there are approximately 505 families in the region who were awarded contracts. This, he pointed out, is an “interjection of income that they didn’t have before.”

Minister Edghill further highlighted the distribution of the one hundred thousand dollar cash grant in the region, in which he stated that 19,900 residents of the region are expected to be beneficiaries.

Furthermore, the Public works minister shed light on the various sectors and ways in which the ordinary Guyanese is set to benefit.

“More people are being employed in the public service. We have lots of teachers and our educators who are upgrading themselves. On the GOAL scholarship, they are now doing Master’s and [a] PhD. And, now in the new regime of things, once you qualify yourself in your field automatically, you’re getting a salary increase,” he underscored.

As Mashramani is being celebrated this year, under the theme “Expressing our Culture and Creativity as One Guyana,” Bishop Edghill has made it clear that Guyanese have a lot to celebrate.“Whether you go in the mines, whether you go down in the bus park, way…Everybody is benefiting, [and] has benefited. Their happiness index has risen. And this year’s celebration of Mashramani should be done with a sense of pride,” the Bishop noted.