Peru to invest $100 million in jungle region infrastructure
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This is part of a drive by President Ollanta Humala to boost public spending before he steps down in three months.
Humala visited ongoing work on a 356m-long bridge over the Pachitea river and inaugurated the start of work on a 55km stretch of the 175km Puerto Bermúdez-San Alejandro highway, both in Huánuco region.
He also opened a 6.7mn-sol health center in the area, official paper El Peruano reported.
The president said his government will have invested 4bn soles in the region, including 1.8bn soles in transport and telecommunications infrastructure, by mid-July, doubling its original commitment to Huánuco, one of Peru's poorest areas.
"This is part of the great transformation, which involves better education, health and infrastructure for the population," Humala said during a broadcast ceremony.
"The next governments must continue this project to benefit the jungle."
Humala, whose mandate ends July 28 following the second round of presidential elections June 5, increased the 2016 budget by 6.6% to 138bn soles, including an additional 12.2% in infrastructure spending. ■