Electricity bill not only criterion to be eligible for $200k cash grant – Dr Jagdeo

– cash grant distribution to be completed within five months

While the government plans to utilise the database from the Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) to ascertain how many households are eligible to receive the $200,000 one-off cash grant, Vice President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has noted that this is not the only verification critieria that will be used.

During a live broadcast on Friday, VP Jagdeo clarified the process of distribution and verification of the grant.

“When we look at the database for those who have meters and who have applied for the meter, it’s about 240,000. So, one would assume that out of those, you have to take out all the commercial buildings and then there might be multiple meters that are owned by a single individual. So, you have to clean up that database, removing the owners of multiple meters, and also their commercial buildings. That will take care of over 200,000 people,” the VP said.

The VP added that an estimated 40,000 “secondary households” do not have electricity meters, and the government is working on devising a method to verify the eligibility of these households as well.

However, he said  that even these households that do not have an electric bill, once deemed legitimate, are still eligible to get the grant.

Renters are also eligible, according to the VP, once they are able to present their contractual agreement with landlords.

“We are going to be watching for contracts too, because sometimes people would start creating multiple contracts in the same home. But electricity bill is not the only criteria to pay out the grant,” he emphasised. 

Households in Amerindian communities will be verified through the village councils, which Dr Jagdeo said has been a reliable method historically.

Importantly, the vice president disclosed that the entire cash grant distribution process is expected to be completed within five months.

“We have to do it properly and that is why we are trying to devise a system so that every eligible household can get it and that they’re not left out. But at the same time, we have to safeguard taxpayers money too, and not allow people to cheat the system,” he said.

In terms of the payment method, the VP said that the bulk of the payments will be made by checks.

For communities that don’t have easy access to banks, the government is exploring using cash payments as an alternative method.

The government is also exploring the option of making direct deposits into the bank accounts of those households that have bank accounts.

Dr Jagdeo made it clear that the aim is to ensure a transparent and verifiable system while also safeguarding against potential for fraud and abuse of the system.

The audit office will play a central role in the verification and payment process, and a dedicated verification unit may be established within the Ministry of Finance, to ensure that the process is efficient and smooth.

The cash grant initiative will inject some $60 billion into the pockets of hardworking Guyanese. The monumental intervention was announced on Thursday, during President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali’s address at a special sitting of the National Assembly. In his address, the head of state revealed a slew of measures aimed at enhancing the lives of Guyanese. It demonstrates the administration’s commitment to a people-centred economic transformation.