–Finance Minister says, as $100,000 cash grant distribution continues
–over 13,000 persons to receive payments in next 24 hours
SOME $6.2 billion has been disbursed to 62,026 citizens directly into their bank accounts, in what Senior Minister in the office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh has described as an early but significant step towards a fully digital Guyana.
In an update on the national cash grant initiative on Monday, Dr Singh recalled that the rollout began with central government employees, including public servants, teachers and members of the disciplined services.
In this first phase, 48,858 such employees had their grants credited directly to their bank accounts.
Meanwhile, in the subsequent phase which focused on wider public access via a dedicated online portal at cashgrant.gov.gy, saw some 26,639 people successfully completing self‑registration.
Of these, payments have already been processed for 13,168 people, who have begun receiving their grants and are expected to have all funds credited within 24 hours.
Meanwhile, a further 22,611 individuals have started the process and are at various stages of completion.
Dr Singh urged those who have not yet completed registration to log in again, particularly at times of lower traffic, acknowledging that heavy demand has caused delays for some users.
He stressed that the online cash grant system marks “an early step” in building a culture in which Guyanese routinely apply for and receive government services online.
“We’re trying to build up a culture where people become accustomed to applying for things online and receiving the delivery of their services online, and we recognise that this is going to be a learning process for everybody,” the finance minister said.
Linking the initiative to President Dr Irfaan Ali’s wider “Digital Guyana” vision, Dr Singh said the long‑term goal is for citizens to be able to access a broad range of services remotely, including birth and marriage certificates, passports, driver’s licences, tax returns, and national insurance scheme (NIS) services.
“It’s going to be a learning process for us as we develop these platforms and as we refine them, and it’s going to be a learning process for our citizens too as they become comfortable submitting applications digitally and receiving services digitally,” he said, adding: “We’re going to continue to work to refine the ease with which and the smoothness with which the platform is working.”
He reassured the public that no eligible person would be left out, even if they face persistent difficulties with the portal or do not have a bank account.
While citizens are encouraged to open accounts to benefit from direct transfers, Dr Singh said a subsequent phase would cater specifically for those without bank accounts, ensuring they still receive their grants.
“We encourage you to open a bank account, and if you choose not to open a bank account or not to use your bank account to receive this cash grant, you’re still going to get your cash grant, because a subsequent phase is going to be rolled out to address those people who don’t have bank accounts,” he affirmed.
He stressed that the government remains at the service to the people and is committed to improving the quality at which services are delivered.
