Lula: Emergency funds for Rio Grande do Sul to be released today
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Tuesday (May 7) that the federal government will not be short of resources to meet the needs of Rio Grande do Sul, the southern state hit hard by storms and floods since late April.
“Emergency funds will be released starting today. Several ministries have been authorized to release initial funds as first aid. Then we’ll work on a project together with the governor.”
In an interview with radio stations during the Bom Dia Presidente program, produced by Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC), the president declared that the government’s goal is not to allow bureaucracy hinder the move.
“The initial difficulty is the fact that that no mayor—the governor said as much last Sunday—is aware of the damage that’s been done. For the time being, people are imagining; they’re trying to have an idea. But we’ll only have the real picture when the water recedes and we see what really happened in Rio Grande do Sul.”
Regarding the decree submitted by the federal government recognizing the state of public calamity in the state, already approved by the lower house, the president said the idea is to start releasing resources through the ministries.
“The Ministry of Health can release funds, as well as the Ministry of National Integration and the Ministry of Education. Resources are released in line with the fundamental needs, which are sending children to school, sending people to hospital, and buying medicines, fuel, water, and food. This money goes out normally through the ministry, without a lot of bureaucracy.”
“What I can guarantee is that there is full support from the lower house, the Senate, the Court of Accounts, and the Judiciary to facilitate the allocation of resources as much as possible,” he stated. “The ministries have structures in the states, but we want to work together with the state secretariats,” he added.
