Development Projects: Rodrigues Used Only 37% of Its 2024-25 Capital Grant

Francisco François, leader of the Rodrigues People’s Organization (OPR) and a Member of Parliament, questioned Prime Minister and Finance Minister Navin Ramgoolam about the Budget Estimates for 2025-26.

He asked whether the projects approved by the Rodrigues Regional Assembly (ARR) are included in the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) for 2025-26 to 2029-30, as well as in the Central Government’s Capital Development Programme.

He also inquired about any changes to the budget allocations made by the ARR.

Ramgoolam confirmed that Rodrigues’ projects are included in the PSIP for 2025-26 to 2029-30. A budget of Rs 785 million has been allocated for these projects within the Performance-Based Budget Estimates.

He added that the Rodrigues Regional Assembly plans to allocate Rs 990 million for capital projects in its 2025-26 budget.

However, the government has only provided Rs 785 million, citing the assembly’s implementation capacity and project readiness as reasons.

The Prime Minister noted that in the 2024-25 budget, a total of Rs 1.285 billion was approved by Parliament as Capital Grants for the ARR. As of now, only Rs 479 million, or 37% of that amount, has been used.

Additionally, the Ministry of Finance and the Rodrigues Regional Assembly agreed on a budget of Rs 5.6 billion for the 2025-26 fiscal year.

This includes Rs 4.8 billion for recurrent expenses and Rs 785 million for capital expenses. However, on April 10, 2025, the ARR presented a total budget of Rs 6.1 billion, with Rs 5.1 billion allocated for recurrent costs and Rs 990 million for capital projects.

Following proposals from the ARR, the government approved an extra Rs 180 million for recurrent expenses on April 18, 2025, raising the total to Rs 5 billion. The capital expenditure remains at Rs 785 million.

The Prime Minister also stated that, beyond the Rs 785 million allocated to Rodrigues, an additional Rs 1.6 billion is planned in the 2025-26 budget for various projects.

These include Rs 1 billion for building a runway at Plaine-Corail, Rs 340 million for water supply projects, and Rs 60 million for drainage construction.

Source: Le Mauricien