Award for the tidiest ministry to be introduced

The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) is to institute a quarterly award for the tidiest Ministry as a contribution towards the Vice President's fight against indiscipline.

Kwadwo Adjei-Darko, Sector Minister said the Ministry, would set up a technical committee to work out modalities in three months. Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, after meeting the staff of the Ministry in Accra, the Minister, who had been in office for just one week said the committee, with representation from all departments would ensure that nobody littered the Ministries.

He noted that there had been so much talk about indiscipline and it was time the Ministry took a leading role in the crusade. Adjei-Darko said the introduction of the award was to ensure that workers developed the culture of cleanliness.

The award would be extended to the various district assemblies nation-wide. Adjei-Darko said the Ministry would also introduce a "farmers market", a place where farmers would bring their produce and sell directly to consumers without the interference of market queens.

The system, which would operate by -weekly, would discourage market queens from determining prices of products. "Perishable farm produce are sometimes left on the market to rot because of the high price and this goes to the disadvantage of the farmer. This is what we want to discourage ", he explained.

Adjei-Darko said District Chief Executives would earmark convenient places for such activities, adding that the system would open job avenues for more people and encourage them to go into farming.

The Minister called on government employees to be loyal to the state and not to personalities or political parties and called for sanctions against those who do not perform diligently. He urged the employees to dedicate themselves to their work and move the nation forward.