Winneba, April 10, GNA - A Deputy Minister of Health, Mr Samuel Owusu-Agyei, has called on the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District Assembly (AESDA) to intensity and block loopholes in its revenue collection. He was addressing an emergency meeting of the Assembly at Winneba on Friday, which approved the 2005 budget of 8.8 billion cedis presented by Mr Robert Andrews Ghunney, Chairman of the Financial and Administration Sub-Committee of AESD.

Mr Owusu-Agyei, who is also the MP for Effutu, noted that if it adopted effective measures to check abuse in revenue collection, it could meet the projected target for the year.

The Deputy Minister charged the Assembly Members to educate the people in their electoral areas on the National Health Insurance Scheme to ensure that it took off successfully in June. He stressed the need for them to honour their basic and other rates and taxes regularly to the Assembly and to encourage the people to do so.

Mr Owusu-Agyei urged the Assembly to provide streetlights to beautify all the big towns in the district. Mr Oppey Abbey, MP for Awutu-Senya called for the rehabilitation of the Bawjiase market as well as roads leading to towns and villages in the constituency.

"Roads in all the big towns in the constituency, particularly Senya Beraku, Bawjiase, Awutu Beraku and Kasoa must also be given serious consideration in the regards".

Mr Oppey Abbey called for the cooperation and support of the Assembly Members to move the district forward, adding that, the two MPs in the area would give their maximum support to all programmes initiated by the Assembly to better the lot of the people. The Presiding Member, Mr Kwesi Esseku, pointed it out that the work of an Assembly Member was a sacrificial one in the efforts to improve the living condition of the people and urged them to honour their tax obligations.

The District Co-ordinating Director, Alhaji Asuru Ishaq urged the Assembly Members to report their problems to the District administration and not to wait for Assembly meetings to do so.