Mampong (Ash), Dec 17, GNA - Plans are advanced for the cultivation of Irish potatoes in the Sekyere West District, Mr Thomas Edward Atakorah, the District Chief Executive, has said. Addressing the third meeting of the assembly at Mampong, he said co-ordinators of the project are touring the district to map out strategies for the project.

This include the acquisition of land and that the lands of the erstwhile Workers' Brigade would be used for the project. He said the assembly would ensure that all government-acquired lands in the district were taken back in readiness for the project. The DCE said that a premium of 60,000 cedis would be paid per person per year towards the implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) that will take off in the district in June 2004. He said personnel from the assembly had been assigned to educate the people on the scheme for its acceptance and to facilitate the payment of the premium.

Mr Atakorah appealed to the assembly members to play very active roles in sensitising the people on the scheme and the collection of the premium.

He said the assembly received 3.3 billion cedis for the third quarter of the year as its share of the common fund and 1.5 billion cedis from the HIPC fund.

The assembly spent 50 million cedis to support the training of 100 unemployed youth in various skills and vocations like batik, tie and dye, pomade making, carpentry and auto mechanics.