Too much poverty in oil-rich Trinidad and Tobago: Ramadharsingh

Glenn Ramadharsingh with Oropouche West MP Stacy Roopnarine at the weekend meeting in Woodland

Minister of the People and Social Development Glenn Ramadharsingh is bothered about the level of poverty in Trinidad and Tobago.

Speaking in Woodland in South Trinidad over the weekend, the minister noted that about 200,000 people are living below the poverty line. "Despite being an oil and gas rich country, Trinidad and Tobago...is still beleaguered with poverty in our rural communities,” Ramadharsignh said.

“In these areas of poverty are the oil rich regions where you have the extractive industry such as lake asphalt and Petrotrin. Do you see the benefit of the oil and gas in these rural communities? Almost more than 200,000 persons living in poverty in Trinidad and Tobago and this is completely unacceptable,” he said.

Ramadharsingh was speaking during a "Direct Impact" assessment of residents at the Woodland Hindu Primary school, in the Oropouche west constituency.

Ramadharsingh blamed the former Manning PNM Administration for neglecting the people. So far his ministry has interviewed over 14,000 people and 7,000 persons have received the TT help card since the People's partnership government came into office, he said.

He also revealed that the Caroni Community Builders from his Caroni Central constituency would donate 10 wheelchairs to Oropouche West MP Stacy Roopnarine’s project “Touch” which was launched last week.