Greater clarity regarding the announcement of the budget cut requested by the National Government requested the governor of Córdoba, Erasmo Zuleta Bechara, during the installation of the Governors’ Summit, which began this Thursday in Montería, within the framework of the 62nd National Fair of the Cattle raising.
“We need to be clear about the issue of budget cuts that are expected in the country. The territories cannot suffer this cut,” said the Cordoba president, who joined the call of the National Federation of Departments (FND), which has expressed concern about the possibility of defunding the items that national entities allocate to investment in the regions. The FND has requested that the National Government ensure that the items to be cut do not affect the financing of the projects prioritized in the Departmental Development Plans, harmonized with the National Development Plan, with special emphasis on those that have counterparts or future validity. .
In relation to the issue of energy transition, Zuleta Bechara stated that the department of Córdoba is committed to a fair and responsible energy transition. “Here what we are looking for is that all that wealth that the national territory and especially Córdoba has is transferred in opportunities to the territories. Today we have more than ten companies in the mining-energy sector in our territory, and the law allows, through the works for taxes mechanism, these companies to deduct up to 50% of their income and be able to develop strategic programs and projects in our territories. “added the president.
The governor of Córdoba took advantage of the scenario to request greater autonomy for the departments in the distribution of resources, especially those that are energy generators, as is the case of the department of Córdoba. “The territories have autonomy for many responsibilities, but we do not have autonomy when distributing resources through the General Participation System. For this reason, the department of Córdoba and the RAP Caribe have aimed that, if we as the Caribbean Region have great energy generation potential, we have access to a better participation in royalty resources.”
He added that for this reason, progress is being made in the Caribbean Region on solar farm projects, and one can think not only about being self-sustaining territories, but also about generating income to make greater social investment.
On the issue of climate change, the Governor of Córdoba insisted that the country cannot continue to be subject to the fact that year after year it becomes a recurring expense to deal with drought and then floods. “It is much more profitable to prevent than to deal with the disaster. How much does it cost the State, how much has the Colombian State spent responding to the disaster? From this scenario of the Summit of Governors, the Federation of Departments and the Ministry of Environment, why don’t we plan and begin to organize the territories around water if we have so much water, as is the case in the department of Córdoba? Zuleta Bechara.
Regarding the issue of security, Governor Zuleta Bechara reiterated his position that peace is not achieved only by strengthening capabilities and increasing the number of public forces, but also with investment. “If there is no investment that closes gaps, that guarantees rights, there can be no peace. That is why the issue of peace must be built from the territories,” he concluded.
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