More than 400 small businesses and individuals in Taveuni have received their Micro Small Business grant from the Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama at Wairiki this morning.

This is the fifth grant handing event so far, in which close to 2,000 people have now been assisted.

Bainimarama says the grant hand out will now be an annual event for government, funded by the government.

‘’Rather than being a one-off, we are going to fund it through the budget each year to give more of our budding entrepreneurs a leg up – because we recognize the importance of this initiative for our national development and to fulfill our vision of creating a modern nation state’’.

466 people in Savusavu received their grants of $1,000 each yesterday.

Bainimarama says another 1,200 grants will be handed out soon in Vanua Levu, including Kioa and Rabi.