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• Politics and Government
• 12 / 24 / 2006

The sessions of the Cuban parliament, where governmental decisions to rule the development of the country for the next year are made, centered the news week in the Caribbean island.

According to official predictions, this year will close with a 12.5 percent economic increase, an estimate surpassing those exhibited by Latin American and the Caribbean countries and confirms the trend corroborated during the last two years.

Economy and Planning Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez provided that information during the 8th period of sessions of the Cuban parliament in which he stated that this is the highest increase in the country's revolutionary history.

According to the minister, the figure surpasses the average of 5.3 percent achieved by Latin American and Caribbean Gross Domestic Product reported by ECLAC.

The positive results respond to efforts like the Energy Revolution carried out in the nation and intended to boost a more rational use of resources.

He highlighted the reduction of energy cuts due to generation problems in more than 90 percent compared to a similar period of 2005 as one of the most important achievements.

Similarly, he said, more than 29 million household energy saving appliances and aimed to give a higher quality of life to the population, were purchased and distributed.

The distribution of basic food was normalized and increased, while the construction of more than 650 social works included reparations of health and education centers.

Transportation Minister Jorge Luis Sierra announced an unprecedented investment in the sector intended to solve the existing serious problems.

The acquisition of 200 urban buses and another 344 for schools in 2007 will contribute to a gradual improvement in that field, he stated.

Source: Prensa Latina