Transportation grant for pensioners under new PPP/C Govt – Pres Ali

Under the next People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government, benefits for pensioners will increase, and according to President Irfaan Ali, this will include the introduction of a transportation grant.
Ali made this announcement on Friday evening at a public meeting hosted by the PPP at Industry on the East Coast of Demerara.

“We want our pensioners and our elders to see the development that is taking place. We want them to be able to drive on the new road. We want them to experience the beautiful tourism product that is being opened up all across the country… That is why we will create a special transportation grant and allowance for our pensioners and our children so we can support their movement,” he told thousands of party supporters.
Only last month, the PPP revealed plans for a new student transportation grant during its next term in office, an initiative aimed at removing the burden from the parents so every child can get the opportunity to go to school.

This transportation grant for pensioners will add to the menu of benefits that the PPP/C Government has rolled out for the country’s elderly population over the last five years. These include restoring the water and electricity subsidies that were removed by the previous APNU/AFC Government and more than doubling pension payments. Pensioners were also given a one-off bonus payment by the Government.
In fact, more than 76,000 pensioners benefited from a total pension pay-out for this year alone of some $37 billion, and Ali said on Friday night that this figure will continue to increase in the coming years.
“We will continue to grow it until you benefit more and more,” he promised.
According to Ali, the PPP/C is already working on making life much easier for pensioners with the introduction of the One Guyana Digital Card. This instrument will see pension payments paid directly into the cards so that the elderly would no longer have to travel and line up every month to receive their money.
Similarly, he says that his Cabinet is already examining new and improved ways to remove human biases from the Public Assistance programme to ensure that everyone who qualifies receives the benefit and that no one is removed from the register.
“Let us not take these things for granted,” the President stressed.

Less tax burden
Turning his attention to children, Ali noted that the PPP/C not only restored the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant but increased it to a whopping $50,000 per child and extended this to children in private schools as well.
Under the PPP/C Administration, children have also benefited from the school uniform grant and the school feeding programmes, free tertiary education at the University of Guyana, and subsidies for eight subjects at the secondary level CSEC and CAPE exams per child.
These are just among the many initiatives that the Ali-led Government rolled out to enhance the lives of Guyanese over the last five years. Reminding of the hardships imposed by the previous APNU/AFC administration – many of which the PPP/C had to undo – Ali assured of plans to do much more to further enhance the lives of citizens over the next five years.
“In coming years and months, you can expect less tax burden on the people of this country. You can expect electricity costs to come down by half. You can expect greater support for families… because we are not a party that takes away from the people. We give and give… that is our philosophy. We don’t take away. We sustain and we build,” he stated.
Currently, Guyana’s earnings from the oil and gas sector cover just over 30 per cent of the national budget.
Citing the expansion across sectors like health with more hospitals and trained professionals, infrastructure with new roads and bridges, or housing with the distribution of house lots and provisions that support homeownership like lowered interest rates on mortgages and building subsidies, President Ali says much more will be done in the next five years.
“Only 37 percent of our budget is financed by oil and gas, so imagine what the next five years will look like for every Guyanese,” Ali declared.

Basket of goods
The President further floated the concept of a ‘basket of goods’ to ensure sustainable living for every family and more targeted support at the household and individual levels that goes beyond just higher salaries.
“We’re going to define what that basket of goods is, and ensure that every family can and will afford that basket of goods to live a comfortable, high-quality life right here in Guyana… We’re thinking beyond salaries about how we diversify your stream of income… that your Government will create the opportunity for and co-invest with you so you can get those earnings. That is how you will build wealth.”
“This is what we’re pursuing, not a sterile vision but a very comprehensive and well-thought-out strategy of how we will grow wealth at every level of our society… We have the experience and talent, and we have the country of our country behind us to do this.” Ali declared.