– Finance Minister says
SENIOR Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, on Wednesday, reported that more than 241,000 Guyanese have thus far benefitted from the Government’s national cash grant initiative, with the majority receiving payments directly into their bank accounts.
Dr Singh made this known while providing an update on the rollout of the cash grant during which he said, “A grand total of 241,614 persons have now received their cash grants.”
He explained that of this figure, 218,227 persons were paid through direct bank transfers. “To be more precise, 218,227 persons have received credit, direct credit, of their cash grant into their bank accounts or their NBS account,” he stated.
The Finance Minister went on to add that the government had initially facilitated payments to public servants, teachers and members of the disciplined services, while also launching an online portal to allow citizens to register and submit their banking information for direct deposits.
“As of today, you will be very pleased to know that using those facilities, a total of 216,839 persons have been paid their cash grants directly into their bank accounts,” he said.
Further to this, Dr Singh highlighted that persons banking with the New Building Society (NBS) can now also access direct payments.
“We were able to put in place a workaround solution that has now enabled us to include the New Building Society on the portal,” he explained.
To this end, he added that 1,388 NBS customers have already received payments.
He further noted that special arrangements were implemented to ensure persons in hinterland and remote communities were not left behind.
Additionally, he highlighted the convenience of the system, pointing out that thousands of recipients did not have to leave their homes.
“218,227 persons got their cash grants directly into their accounts, without having to leave their home and without having to join a line,” he said.
Further, the minister encouraged persons who have not yet registered to utilise the online portal and register to receive their cash grant.
