The government has so far processed 150,963 payments under its $100,000 National Cash Grant programme, according to Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh.
In an update on the initiative on Tuesday, Dr. Singh said 140,546 of those payments were made directly into beneficiaries’ bank accounts.
He explained that this figure includes 48,858 central government employees who were paid in the first phase of the programme, as well as 91,688 persons who successfully registered through the online portal and have since had their grants processed.
The minister noted that a total of 126,011 persons have completed self-registration through the government’s portal at cashgrant.gov.gy.
He said the online registration system continues to play a major role in the delivery of the grant, allowing persons to access the payment from home once their information is verified and processed.
Dr. Singh also highlighted a separate exercise in Region Nine, where the government introduced a special approach to cater to the needs of hinterland residents, many of whom do not have easy access to banking services.
According to him, teams were sent into the region to assist residents with registration, including persons without bank accounts.
As a result of that effort, 10,417 additional payments have been processed for Region Nine residents, with some receiving direct bank transfers and others receiving cheques.
When combined with the direct deposits already made, the total number of cash grants processed now stands at 150,963. Dr. Singh described the rollout as a major accomplishment, saying the programme has been progressing efficiently and on a wide scale.
He also encouraged persons who have not yet completed their registration to do so using the online portal, which he said remains the most convenient way to receive the grant.
The Finance Minister further announced that the special hinterland registration exercise will be expanded to the other hinterland regions.
He said government is also preparing to launch additional support measures for shut-ins, including elderly and incapacitated persons who cannot leave their homes.
That initiative, he explained, will rely on data already available through the old age pension and National Insurance Scheme systems.
In addition, help desks are expected to be set up in several areas across the country to assist persons who are unable to complete the online process on their own.
Those additional support systems are expected to begin rolling out later this week.
