Govt to deliver $100k cash grant cheques to shut-ins – Jagdeo

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo is encouraging shut-ins not to stand in long lines at the cash grant distribution centres countrywide, assuring that the Government will put systems in place to have the cheques delivered to them.
During his weekly press conference last Thursday, Jagdeo addressed this and other issues surrounding the cash grant distribution exercise stating that, “the shut-ins, I believe should not even come out. We’ll get it to them eventually.”
While acknowledging some issues with the processes nationwide, the Vice President emphasised that the majority of beneficiaries have had positive experiences.

Dr Jagdeo commended the efficiency of staff at distribution points. He noted that while the process is generally running smoothly, a small number of recipients have faced challenges in receiving their checks.
These issues, he explained, are often the result of simple human errors, such as checks being sent to the wrong location or delays in the sorting process.
“We just tend to focus on all of the people, the complainants. What about the tens of thousands? For every one person who has a problem, you have 200 others who went through the process and got it done well. And this is something, it’s this obsession, and it’s part of the confusion too, because these are highlighted by the opposition. Highlighted by the opposition. Now, if people have a problem, we have to fix it. That’s why we said we actually send people on the ground,” he pointed out.
“Wherever there is incompetence, wherever there is callousness, we should fix it But I can’t deny the hard work that hundreds of Guyanese are putting in, to get this out to our people, get the checks out to our people,” VP Jagdeo said.
One of the more widespread rumours that has caused unnecessary panic among recipients is the belief that the cheques are only valid for three days. This misinformation has led many to rush to the banks, eager to cash in their checks before they expire.
As a result, some individuals have been reportedly discounting their cheques, offering to cash them for a smaller sum, with a portion of the money going to the middleman- something Government has warned against.
“They’ve been spreading the rumours everywhere, APNU (A Partnership for National Unity) and others, only three days the check is valid for… people believe that they got to get rid of this check in three days’ time, or else they would lose the money. How can that be helpful? Because now it puts people in panic. They’re all going immediately to the banks to get the money, a significant number of people until today,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Vice President also addressed the opposition’s concerns about the photo verification process.
“If we don’t take the picture to verify that the person who’s receiving the check was the one registered, they’re looking for a case where a wrong person collects a check, and then they would complain about that. It’s not belittling. It’s just the verification process,” he assured.