More oversight needed for Govt’s relief assistance programmes

Dear Editor,
This Government has been spending enormous sums of money to fill the pockets of the small man and provide a catalyst for economic progress. This is most commendable.
Notwithstanding, there has been enormous dissatisfaction and vociferous condemnation from the very people who are supposed to be beneficiaries, and from the general public.
With good intentions, the Government rolled out the flood relief, which saw billions of dollars being spent; but many persons have complained that those who deserved the money and are farmers did not get the relief, while many who had planted nothing received the relief. It has been alleged that friends and cronies of lower-tier officials of the PPP benefited more than others.
This was aired ad nauseam by Dr Ramayya on his programme ‘Issues of the People’, and he blamed the people who were tasked with investigating and submitting the names of affected persons. Earlier, this same scenario was played out with the COVID-19 Relief cash grant. The Distribution of Hampers also suffered the same fate, as did the Cash Grant to Fisherfolks. More cash relief, more dissatisfaction, what an irony.
Currently, the Government is rolling out its Part-Time Job Programme, which should have brought immediate relief to 10,000 unemployed persons. The form clearly states that unemployed persons between the ages of 18 and 55 are the intended beneficiaries, but many persons currently employed in the Programme should not qualify, based on the criteria for employment.
Many employed in entities such as GuySuCo are now part-time workers; and there are some who are employed elsewhere while their wives are employed on the Programme. And some of them employed on the Programme are pensioners, over the age of sixty.
Many unemployed persons are cast aside in favour of friends and cronies, and to make matters worse, many part-time workers barely work one or two hours per day for the ten-day period. The working period should be 10 days at 8 hours per day, or a total of 80 hours per month.
Many of these persons are poorly supervised, and some do not turn up for work but are marked present; this means they will be paid. This is the biggest fraud to date, and will cost the Government hundreds of millions per month.
This Government should have employed qualified people independent of politics to implement and oversee these programmes; only then would these initiatives be free from controversies and condemnations. The Ministry of Finance should have been involved, and not be involved only in making payments.

Yours sincerely,
Narendra Lall