Page 16 - PNM General Election 2020 Manifesto

ensure the health and well-being of the • Implementing Safe Back to Work Protocols
population; and to propose initiatives to “reignite
economic activity and ensure social stability”.

• The Second Phase of the Committee’s work,
currently in progress, is focused on the medium-
term and is aimed at restructuring and
transforming our economy, to create a more
resilient, equitable, and self-sufficient society.

In the first Phase, the Committee focused on 3
immediate priorities:

1) Addressing and mitigating the hardship
inflicted by COVID-19

2) Restarting the economy

3) Laying the foundation for sustained • Adopting policy decisions to immediately boost
economic recovery and sustain the Agriculture Sector

The Committee concluded that the prevailing • Providing direct support to Tobago Businesses
risks in the environment require increased focus and boosting local tourism
by the Government during the next 12 months,
as the instigator, influencer and facilitator of jobs • Increasing spending in the Construction Sector
and business activity. It also recognized that both by both the Government and the Private Sector
the private and public sectors will have to play
significant roles in the short-term to jumpstart • Liquidating outstanding debts to contractors
the economy. and accelerating priority construction projects

The Committee has identified the following as • Restructuring the Oil and Gas Industry to
short-term objectives, which the PNM fully improve competitiveness and recalibrating ‘the
accepts and endorses: gas value chain’

• Social protection – leave no one behind • Providing appropriate financial support to the
• Retain and create jobs Services, Retail, Distribution and Manufacturing
• Boost aggregate demand sectors, in particular to SMEs, Entrepreneurs and
• Minimize and remediate supply disruptions other institutions at all levels through accelerated
payment of VAT Refunds, Liquidity Support and
Among the measures proposed by the Soft Loans
Committee were the following:
The PNM accepted these proposals.
• Increasing the allocation for Social Welfare and
Support programmes, given that the number of
persons accessing these programmes is expected
to increase

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PNM THE RIGHT CHOICE ON AUGUST 10 People’s National Movement Manifesto 2020