After facing a “rough time” during the first countrywide $25,000 COVID-19 cash grant distribution exercise that was rolled out last year, the Guyana Government is now considering a second round of financial relief but only to vulnerable groups such as elderly persons and single parents.
File photo: Scene from the 1st phase of the cash grant distribution
During a press conference on Friday, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo explained that while Government is committed to and continues to explore ways of bringing relief to Guyanese amidst the novel coronavirus pandemic, the administration of the cash grant exercise was a major issue.
“You know it took us a long time to go to each home to give the grant to people. And we had a lot of difficulties too… because there was every family in Guyana we had to go to. In some cases, people may not have gotten the money, and they did not get a chance to fill up or some didn’t get to full out the ‘pink form’ because some of them may not have been home. And in some areas, people lied… So, we’ve had a rough time and the people who are distributing this had to contend with all sorts of things,” he stated.
Currently, the first distribution exercise is still ongoing with “pink slip” applicants being processed.
Only recently, the Ministry of Finance revealed that an estimated 40,565 families will benefit from this second phase of the $25,000 per household COVID-19 relief cash grant.
However, even as Government is working to wrap up the first cash grant exercise, VP Jagdeo noted that had there been an easier way to administer the distribution then this process would have been carried out “swiftly”.
Nevertheless, he went on to say that Government is thinking about a second countrywide stimulus relief but only for certain vulnerable groups.
“We’re definitely considering [a second relief exercise] for vulnerable groups like older folks and others, maybe single parents because that’s easier to administer… So that is on the card but not necessarily for everybody but more vulnerable groups in the second stage… But we’re keeping constant, the thought of helping these communities and the people who need the help,” the Vice President asserted.
In an update on the second phase of the distribution exercise earlier this week, the Finance Ministry said distribution has already been completed in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), where some 2576 families have benefitted from the combined $64.4 million for the project.
Regions One (Barima-Waini), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) have seen over 80 per cent completion, with 2056 of an estimated 2235 families receiving their cash grant from the $55.8 million for those regions.
Meanwhile, distribution has not yet started in Regions Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).
The Regional Executive Officers are putting systems in place to start the process in the new week.
The Ministry said the over $1.1 billion COVID-19 relief initiative was budgeted in 2021 under the Ministry of Social Services and is being executed by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development. It is managed by a committee from the Finance Ministry.
In 2020, $4.5 billion was allocated for the first phase of the grant, which started in September. During that distribution exercise, primary households received the grant, while tenants or other families residing at the same address were issued a “pink slip” for follow-up during the second phase.
In December, the National Assembly approved an additional $2.5 billion to continue the cash grant relief efforts.
In addition to this measure, the Government also distributed $1.73 billion to Amerindian communities as part of its one-off COVID-19 relief investment fund aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and revitalising hinterland economies.
Persons with queries about their COVID pink slip grant can contact the Ministry on telephone numbers 223-7040/223-7039.
