Region Six residents commend Government’s NIS outreach

Residents of Region Six gathered at the Regional Democratic Council to have their issues with the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) resolved, commended the initiative.

Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh MP, and a client of NIS

Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh MP, is spearheading the outreaches across the country. They aim to reduce a backlog in unresolved cases at the Scheme.

“Recognising the challenges that you have been facing, our President has mandated that we roll out this series of outreaches to try to fix these problems,” Dr. Singh said.

Ms. Marilyn LaRose

Pensioner, Ms. Marilyn LaRose said that the outreach was a good initiative because it gave her the opportunity to understand why her monthly pension was at a certain level.

“What I was hoping for, I did not really get through, but I understood what they were saying,” she told DPI.  Ms. LaRose said other pensioners and clients of the scheme could benefit from similar experiences with the outreaches.

Mr. Kamaldeo Mangal

Another client of the Scheme, Mr. Kamaldeo Mangal, said the outreach was a good idea.

“I came to query some contributions concerning pension, and it’s going very fast. It’s speedy.”

He said that there was a disparity between his contributions according to the NIS’s record, and the contributions he thinks should be there. The Estate Manager for Rose Hall Estate, Mr. Balraj Dhanraj, was critical to this process.

Mr. Mangal said the Estate Manager noted his matter and has committed to assisting with a review of his contributions.

Mr. Vishnu Arjune

A young man, Mr. Vishnu Arjune, attended the outreach to obtain an NIS card. He said he got the card very quickly and that the outreach, was “very helpful because a lot of persons are getting through with their issues.”

Other clients of the Scheme expressed gratitude for the outreach as well. Some got their issues rectified. Some were started on a process of rectification. Others did not get the resolution they hoped for, but received explanations for their particular situations.

Staff of the National Insurance Scheme and their clients

The Finance Minister said the outreaches are a reflection of a recognition by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali that there are many challenges faced by persons insured with the Scheme.

He said that outreaches in the near future will include visits to Region 10 and more visits in Region Four.

Minister within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Anand Persaud MP, also attended the exercise.

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