$150,000 one-off fisherfolk grant rolled out in Berbice
Sunil Jaimangal
Sunil Jaimangal

THREE months after President, Dr Irfaan Ali announced that the government will give a one-off grant of $150,000 to fisherfolk across Guyana, the initiative was finally rolled out in Region Six on Friday.
The extended time to launch the programme was due to systems put in place by the government to ensure greater scrutiny of names submitted as valid beneficiaries for the grant.

The heavy vetting of the names of proposed beneficiaries, Vice-President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo said was necessary because some unscrupulous persons had exploited loopholes in the flood and cash grants which were distributed earlier.

Through the added layer of scrutiny which involved the watchful eyes of residents and fishermen themselves, Dr Jagdeo said the authorities were able to flag farmers who became fishermen overnight. While admitting that the government might not be able to weed out all the unwanted elements, it is certain that the list of beneficiaries for the fisherfolk grant is the cleanest yet.

Sanjay Chattergoon

The government has initially estimated that it will be paying the grant to about 5,000 fisherfolk but after the verification process, this number has topped 6,000.
At the Port Mourant Community Ground, Sunil Jaimangal, a father of three from Sheet Anchor Village, Canjie, was among hundreds who turned up to collect their grant. He told the Guyana Chronicle that grant is a big help to him and his family. Recently, he said his fishing pen was destroyed by a big boat and the money collected will be used to rebuild the structure which he depends on for his livelihood.

OPTIMISTIC
A fisherman for close to 20 years, Jaimangal said the industry has experienced ups and downs but he is optimistic that it will make a full recovery with the help and support from the government.
Over at the Skeldon Community Centre Ground where another few hundreds gathered to uplift their grant, Sanjay Chattergoon, seated comfortable in a chair a short distance from the distribution point, waited patiently for his name to be called.

Chattergoon of Number 62 Village, Corentyne, told this newspaper that he has been out of work for the past three weeks after losing a toe while at sea.
“I’m happy, it means a lot to me, I have been out of work. Look, see here, I lost my toe while at sea. I’m diabetic. I noticed a numbness and then swelling and when I visited the doctor, it was in a bad state so they had to cut it off. So right now I’m recovering and this money is a big help for me,” said Chattergoon, who is still grieving the death of his wife who died last year.

Vice-President Jagdeo explained on Friday that the names submitted to receive the grant fall into three categories: persons on the voters’ list with identification card; persons without identification card and have to be verified; and persons who are neither on the voters’ list nor have any form of identification.

Over 90 per cent of the listed persons to receive the grant fall in the first category and will receive the grant without hesitation. Once the identity of the others is verified, they too will receive the grant, said Vice-President, Bharrat Jagdeo.

The grant is intended to bring much-needed relief to fisherfolk who have been feeling the squeeze occasioned by the increase in cost of living caused by COVID-19 and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
The government has also created over 11,000 part-time jobs to supplement income at the household level and is providing building materials for persons building their homes.

OTHER INTERVENTIONS
Other interventions by the government include the restoration of the children’s cash grant that was stopped by the former APNU+AFC Government, and increased the sum from $10,000 to $25,000. This grant has since been extended to learners in private school, and there is a promise to further increase it to $50,000 by 2025.

The children’s school uniform vouchers have also been increased from $2,500 to $5,000; old age pension has been increased by 40 per cent; some 20,000 scholarships have been made available to Guyanese, and this number could increase to 50,000; the end-of-year bonus for the Joint Services has been restored; VAT has been removed from water, electricity, machinery, agricultural inputs, among others; unjust D&I charges have been resolved and concessions have been granted to miners to make their operations more profitable; corporate tax on healthcare and education has been removed; more than 11,000 house lots have been distributed thus far and the government is now helping persons with private lands, who do not have the capital, to build their homes.

Dr Jagdeo also said that education at the University of Guyana will be made free before 2025; 1,000 homes will be built in Linden and electricity cost is expected to be reduced by 50 per cent by 2025, with the coming on stream of the Wales gas-to-shore project and other major energy projects.

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