Cash Grant per household and not per family – Finance Ministry clarifies 

Distribution of the government’s national COVID-19 cash grant is currently underway on the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara and in Sophia, Greater Georgetown, the Ministry of Finance has confirmed.

Region Four is the only outstanding region for the distribution of the grant to be completed, with the other nine regions already served.

The COVID-19 cash grant is a one-time payment of G$25,000 per principal household. The ministry said it is necessary to re-emphasise that the grant is not one per family.

“We know that some households are big, and, in some cases, more than one family may be living in a household. However, where such situation exists, the distribution clerks and regional supervisors are required to note such instances so that those families can be taken into consideration in the future,” the statement added.

The government is notifying persons that issuance of the cash grant will be done to the primary householder, and wherever there are other family members or tenants, those persons are being issued with a ‘pink’ form, which will serve as the instrument to be used to verify those candidates for future consideration.

The names, addresses and contact information of persons who were not at home during the distribution exercise will be collected, and arrangements will be made for them to collect their grants at a later date.

In cases where there is no principal householder on a premises, but all the families residents therein are tenants, all such families will receive the “pink” form.

The ministry, in a statement, reminded citizens that there is no requirement for pre-registration for the grant. The grant is delivered on a house-to-house basis by authorised officials who must be wearing their COVID-19 identification badges.

“Only authorised officials can distribute the grant and there is no fee for distribution,” the statement added.

Two community distribution clerks wearing specially designed COVID-19 identity badges will visit your home accompanied by community leaders, armed police security and their supervisors.

Upon clearly identifying the principal householder, one clerk will issue to that householder a receipt for the grant and the other clerk will en-cash the receipt immediately by giving the householder a sealed envelope containing G$25,000.

At close of business daily, distribution clerks are required to surrender unused cash along with their receipt books for security control.

At the end of the distribution exercise, each clerk submits their receipts of payments to be audited by the regional authorities and subsequently by the internal audit department of the Ministry of Finance. In this manner there is careful scrutiny to ensure that receipts issued are reconciled with cash grants distributed.  Any discrepancies are investigated, and necessary action taken.

The Auditor General has been asked to audit the entire cash grant distribution.