Significant progress made in cash grant distribution, challenges being addressed – Vice President

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday provided an update on the government’s cash grant distribution process, reporting significant progress but acknowledging that some challenges continue to impact the system.

While hundreds of thousands of cheques have been printed and distributed, Jagdeo explained that verification delays and issues caused by citizen behaviour are hindering the overall efficiency of the process.

Jagdeo shared figures showing that large numbers of cheques have already been distributed across various regions. However, he noted that the verification process for registrants has caused some discrepancies between the number of registrations and the cheques printed, leading to delays.

Each registration undergoes a verification phase before cheques can be printed, but this has not always aligned smoothly with the distribution process. Jagdeo explained that this situation is particularly common in larger communities, where word spreads about distribution, leading to a surge in the number of people showing up.

Unfortunately, not everyone’s cheque is ready due to incomplete verification, leading to frustration as people discover they have to wait longer.

Jagdeo discussed efforts to streamline the distribution process, with the Ministry of Finance working to simplify verification. He also addressed the inconsistency in the documentation required to collect the cheques. Some citizens who registered with passports were reportedly told they could only collect their cheques with an ID card.

Jagdeo stated that this inconsistency was due to varying interpretations of the rules by staff and pledged to work on better communication and clearer guidelines to resolve these issues.

Despite these challenges, Jagdeo emphasised that the government is focused on resolving the issues and accelerating the distribution process. With the budget now concluded, staff will be able to devote more time to the task, and Jagdeo urged the relevant ministries to prioritise clearing the backlog and ensuring a smoother operation in the coming weeks.

Jagdeo also acknowledged that while some distribution points are running smoothly, issues have arisen in others due to staff’s lack of coordination or conscientiousness. He noted that in some areas, staff would leave distribution points unattended for long periods, leading to unnecessary waiting times for citizens.

The Vice President stressed the importance of public cooperation in addressing these challenges. He reiterated that citizens must understand that cheques will be available once verification is completed and that arriving in large numbers before cheques are ready only complicates the process.