–Finance Minister says at Salvation Army hamper distribution

SENIOR Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh has said that the government remains committed to advancing the lives of every Guyanese, especially the elderly, as it forges ahead with building a modern Guyana.

Dr. Singh, in his address to persons at the Salvation Army (Guyana Division)’s Christmas Hamper Distribution on Alexander Street, alluded to several initiatives to improve the quality of life of pensioners, which include a nearly 40 per cent increase in old age pension since 2020, as well as investments in public health, such as six regional hospitals and various telemedicine centres in hinterland regions across the country.

“We are committed to improving the lives of our elderly,” he said.

Dr. Singh reminded the gathering, amidst concerns raised that some persons were having difficulties with their pension, that he has been spearheading National Insurance Scheme (NIS) outreaches across the country in several regions to deal with the various matters.

The minister related that this initiative will continue, and that the government is committed to resolving all of the problems.

Dr. Singh alluded to President Ali’s ‘One Guyana Initiative’, which he said has a deeper meaning to include each citizen of every religion, and from every location in the country.

“This is not by accident, and our President has adopted a philosophy to characterise all that we do; a philosophy of One Guyana… The One Guyana that President Ali has adopted as the special theme of his Presidency is a philosophy that will see, and is committed to seeing every single Guyanese person playing a meaningful part and participating fully in and benefitting fully from the modern Guyana that we’re building,” he said.

The minister praised the Salvation Army for its excellent work and initiatives over the years, highlighting its programme to help persons recover from drug and alcohol addiction; this has helped hundreds of persons.

“I am proud as a representative of this government to publicly associate myself and my government with the excellent work that is being done by the Salvation Army,” the Finance Minister said.

Dr. Singh lauded the elderly for their contributions to the country over the years, and said that now is the time for young Guyanese to stay in school, as the modern Guyana being built will require certain types of skills, which is why the government is building more schools across the country.

“Those of you who have children and grandchildren, you have the responsibility to say to them, ‘Aspire to get a good job; aspire to get a good income, and work and develop yourselves,’” he advised persons.

Chairman of the Salvation Army’s Advisory Board, Edward Boyer expressed gratitude to the PPP/C Government for its significant support of the organisation over the years.