Gov’t expects to issue about 300,000 cash grants before year-end

The initial distribution process of the $100,000 one-off cash grant is expected to see about 300,000 Guyanese receiving their cash grants before the end of the year.

This is according to General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo who was at the time speaking during his weekly press conference at Freedom House.

Dr Jagdeo explained that the process will continue through December and into the new year.

“The technical team has said that they can get about 300,000 persons registered before the end of the year. They told me they can cut about maybe 20,000 checks per day. They have built a system now to do that,” he said.

Public servants and pensioners are priority targets, with the government aiming to distribute checks to these persons before the end of the year.

“We had already explained that it will take us about five months to complete the task. We are trying to hurry this up so that we could at least get the public servants and the pensioners completed before the end of the year. We may be able to do that and then a number of other people who are registered,” he added. 

While some persons may receive their cash grants in the new year, the general secretary assured that every eligible Guyanese will receive the cash grant, as promised. 

Dr Jagdeo also pointed out that the audit office will play a central role in the verification and payment process, as the government aims to ensure a transparent and verifiable system.

On Wednesday the National Assembly approved a $30.5 billion supplementary provision for the distribution of the cash grant to every citizen 18 years and above.

An efficient four-step process governs this initiative. The first step is the registration exercises. Each community will have a registration schedule, essentially a list of dates, times, and locations that will serve as hubs for registration.

Technical teams with pre-programmed tablets will be dispatched to gather persons’ data.

The second stage is the verification of the registrants, followed by the cutting of checks.

A distribution schedule will then be published, and these cheques will be disbursed in the same locations where registration occurred.

To register, individuals must present their valid National Identification Card (ID) or valid passport. Photocopies will not be accepted. These official documents are the only acceptable forms of identification used to confirm that the applicant is a Guyanese citizen aged 18 or older, making them eligible to receive the cash grant.

During registration, a photo of the applicant will be taken to verify their physical presence and ensure that the person who collects the cash grant is the same individual who registered. Additionally, a photo of the applicant’s ID or passport will also be taken to validate that the information on the document matches the person registering.

These measures seek to prevent any attempts to defraud the system or manipulate the process.