Govt working aggressively to roll out $100k cash grant – Finance Minister

– urges all eligible persons to get registered as soon as possible

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government is working to roll out the $100,000 cash grant to citizens 18 years and older as soon as possible, according to Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh.
During an interview on the sidelines of an event on Tuesday, Dr Singh explained the process this initiative entails and what categories of persons, including those in the public and private sectors, can expect.
“The first step is, to lookout for the publication of the registration schedule of your area. And when that schedule is published, I would ask that everybody, of eligible age, come out and get registered. Turn up with your ID card or passport and get registered,” he explained.
“Step two is verification of the registration. So, this is making sure that there is no duplication, or data validation. Which should happen fairly quickly, because the registration process is a very efficient one. You may have heard that we’ve developed an app that is very efficient in terms of scanning your ID card and capturing the data electronically.”
Dr Singh explained that while passports would require the manual input of information, the ID cards can be scanned quickly and efficiently using the app. Meanwhile, step three would involve the cutting of cheques for distribution to eligible recipients.
“We’re actually going to be cutting the cheques. And step four will be returning to those (places). So, we would publish a second schedule, which is a distribution schedule. When we will go back to those very centres where we took the registration. And we will distribute the cheques at those very centres where we took the registration.”
“We want this to be done as quickly as possible. So, we’re trying every means available. You know we’ve said that with public servants, we’re going to register within Ministries. We’ve already started, because you have hundreds of persons working in a single building, where you can essentially register a number of persons one time.”
As such, the government has been able to register government employees right at their place of work. All other citizens, according to the finance minister, will be registered and receive their cash grant within their communities. This includes private sector employees, the self and unemployed and home-makers.
“We really want this to be done as quickly as possible. Here, again, you would note that on the financial paper I submitted yesterday, which we’ll be considering tomorrow, we’ve requested a supplementary appropriation of $30 Billion to meet costs associated with this distribution.”
“Which reflects how aggressively we want to roll this out. Here again, the issue is making sure you get registered as quickly as possible. (Public servants) are definitely going to get it before the end of the year,” Dr. Singh said.
Questioned whether the government would be distributing the cheques to all other persons by year-end too, he noted that while the government would like to do so, the priority is to ensure as many persons as possible are registered before those monies are distributed.
Further, he also confirmed that based on their calculations, the cost of the cash grant distribution is still within the range of the previously announced $60 billion. Asked to comment on the scepticism expressed by some on social media about consenting to have their photos taken during the registration process, the finance minister had this to say.
“We are not of course compelling anybody to have their picture taken. You do have the option not to have your picture taken, but if you do exercise your right to not have your picture taken, you will not be registered.”
It was only on Monday that the Government approached the National Assembly, seeking its approval for more than $84 billion in supplementary funds for projects that the highly-anticipated $100,000 one-off cash grant initiative.
Financial paper, No. 4 of 2024, seeks approval for a supplementary sum of over $84 billion being sought. Of this amount, $30.5 billion is for the commencement of the $100,000 cash grant initiative. This paper is expected to be examined and debated in the National Assembly today.