Infrastructure and development received the biggest allocation of the 2015 budget announced yesterday.

The Fiji Roads Authority alone has been allocated six hundred and fifty-three million dollars, an increase of 179 million from last year.

Good Infrastructure is the key to economic development and according to the Minister responsible, Pio Tikoduadua, says their large piece of the budget pie is more than justified.

“There’s a big shift now into rural roads, so we’re allocating about $20million for that and it is not an amount that is surprising for us because you know as we have this work in planning our network, we’ve’ identified all these areas where that money is going to go, we’re glad that we’re getting that kind of money.”

Tikoduadua is also keen to emphasize the allocation for Water Infrastructure – one hundred and seventy six million dollars.

“Water is like the poor cousin to Roads in the utility areas, that first ever now, government is really putting some effort into water, water is a basic right, its a commitment that we have made, there’s a series of capital works that now needs to go into building capacity, its’ been totally neglected over a long, long time, waste water management is a good one and so the bulk of that money is going into these areas and also going into the reform of the Fiji Water Authority."

Other incentives will include water bill exemptions for those families earning less than 30 thousand dollars which is expected to come into effect in the first quarter of 2015.

Other notable spends will include 15 million dollars provided by the Chinese Government or the reconstruction of the Stinson Parade and other rundown bridges around Fiji.

There’s also an allocation of 24 million dollars for the shipping franchise scheme and 19.5 million dollars for the Rural Electrification project.