Unused funding from completed community-based projects will be allocated to smaller projects as part of a village development plan (VDP), according to officials involved in carrying out the scheme.

Under the VDP, villages will be invited to draw up plans that will be implemented with funds provided by government ministries and parliament, they said.

“The project period for community-based projects has already expired. They were four-year projects, but some still have unused funding. We have funds from parliament and the Border Affairs Ministry. We also have regional development funds,” MP Daw Shar Mu told Kantarawaddy Times.

According to Daw Shar Mu, parliament allocated one billion kyat (US$650,000) to pay for community-based projects in each township. Any money that hasn’t already been used can now go towards smaller development projects, she said.

U Maung Po, a technical advisor for community-based projects in Karenni (Kayah) State’s Hpruso Township, said that parliament and the government will support the VDP as part of its program to promote community-based projects.

“We had a workshop on September 6 where we discussed it with government officials. We will implement the remaining projects of the VDP with funds from the government and parliament. Depending on how much money we have, we will implement these kinds of projects every year,” U Maung Po told Kantarawaddy Times.

According to U Maung Po, different villages have drawn up different projects based on their specific needs and interests.

For example, villages in the western part of Hpruso Township have decided to focus on the transportation sector, while villages near town will be using their funding to develop the agriculture, livestock and water sectors in their respective communities, he said.