Social Protection Minister backpedals on wind down of Public Assistance.

Oct 11, 2016 News

It would seem the Coalition Government has changed its mind in relation to its stance on the number of persons accessing Public Assistance and its planned wind down of the service, as was expressed in February this year.
This was revealed when Minister of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence, answered questions on increases in Old Age Pension and Public Assistance
The APNU+AFC Government is close to paying $20,000 per month to Old Age Pensioners, Lawrence explained. The Minister said that the Coalition Government is only $1,800 shy of that goal.
Lawrence added that it is her hope that the economy would allow Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, to add to the current amount, in turn taking it closer to the their goal of a $20,000, monthly Old Age Pension.
She added that along with the proposal to increase Old Age Pension, a proposal was also submitted to the Ministry of Finance for an increase in Public Assistance and the number of persons receiving the service.
Last February, Minister Lawrence engaged members of a newly-appointed Local Board of Guardians tasked with reviewing applications for Public Assistance for persons living along East Bank Demerara. She said that Government is gearing to wind down public assistance.
“We are working to ensure this year is the last for Public Assistance,” Lawrence said.
It was added that as part of the effort to reduce what the Minister described as the ‘dependency syndrome’, the Social Protection Ministry will be making deliberate moves to teach people to help themselves.
Public Assistance is a form of temporary financial assistance issued by the Government of Guyana to specific persons, including the aged, infirm, destitute and children below the age of 14. At present, each monthly Public Assistance voucher is valued at $6,500.
For many years several Regions and Sub Regions were without Boards of Guardians. This, she added, is no more as Boards of Guardians have been established in the ten Administrative Regions and all Sub Regions.
The Minister explained that more persons will have the opportunity to receive assistance from the government.
She had stated that some evidence of the ‘dependency syndrome’ is where people are reluctant to seek alternative sources of income. However, with the approach that the Ministry is embracing this year, such reluctance is expected to become a thing of the past.
Minister Lawrence added that the Ministry will work to introduce conditional cash transfers which will see focus being directed to the family.

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Social Protection Minister backpedals on wind down of Public Assistance.

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