With rising complaints across the country about some of the difficulties being faced by some citizens as they register for the $100,000 cash grant, Minister responsible for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, today said efforts are being made to assist those facing difficulties.

He said already in a number of communities, persons have been dispatched to assist senior citizens and others with the registration process. Dr. Singh said the immediate distribution is focused on those persons with bank accounts, as that process is easier.

He reported that almost 400,000 persons have already benefited from the distribution of the grant since its launch in February. More than 200,000 more are expected to receive the grant as the registration process is ongoing.

“So far, we have been able to register and pay about close 400,000 persons which is quite a large number if you consider the speed with which this has been done. In just about two and a half months, the last count I saw is about 390,000 and the overwhelming majority of these people were paid directly into their bank accounts,” the Finance Minister noted. 

Dr. Singh acknowledged that most of the initial challenges that persons encountered with the online registration portal have now been resolved and the system is working well.

However, he noted that there are challenges for persons with mobility issues and residents of some hinterland communities to register.

“So what we have done we have developed special solutions for those, for the remote communities we have started in region 9 and we went to region 7 and 1, and what we are doing now, is to send out teams in these communities as an alternative arrangement for them to register people for them to be paid and that has also gone very well and has helped us to get to this point where we are,” Dr. Singh said.

Additionally, he said the Finance Ministry has also been working with the Human Services Ministry to ensure that persons with disabilities and shut-ins receive the grant. He said teams have also been deployed to the homes of those persons.

“So the process will continue, we continue to urge people to get bank accounts and use the portal to sign up, we continue to try to explain to people that this is the easiest way to get your cash grant, but we also assure you that if you don’t have a bank account or don’t want a bank account , you are not going to be denied a cash grant, but we are dealing in the first instance with those who have bank accounts,” the Finance Minister said.

The Finance Minister assured that verification and payment processing will continue in successive batches as more applications are completed.

There have been growing calls for a more simplified registration process to be implemented, especially to assist the elderly and those with disabilities.

While some persons have been registered by those dispatched by the Ministry to visit homes, they remain without the grant, and with no information being offered on a timeline for their payout.

Related posts:

Over $6 Billion paid out in $100,000 Cash Grant since last week No one will be denied cash grant for not having bank account -Finance Minister assures President assures public servants will receive cash grant before end of week Government prefers to deposit $100,000 cash grant directly to bank account -Finance Minister