There should be no more delays in the processing of social welfare, says the Hon. Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Rosy Sofia Akbar.
The Minister made these comments while chairing a public consultation on social welfare programs at Nakavika village in Namosi this week.
The consultations provided the opportunity for the villagers to seek clarification on social welfare programs like Social Pension Scheme, Poverty Benefit Scheme, Care and Protection Program.
“Through the consultations we have done in Labasa, Navua and Naitasiri, we have seen that there were some applications that had been pending for a year. We don’t want that, you have my word that when your applications come to our office, have allocated a time framework of maximum of six weeks of processing time, within which you will be informed of the outcome.
“And in cases where people don’t meet the eligibility criteria, we gave other programs like the Welfare Graduation Program and the livelihood projects through which we will try to assist the individuals,” Mrs Akbar explained.
The Ministry is also looking into the concerns of the recipients in rural and maritime locations who are burdened with transport costs whilst accessing their monthly allowances.
“The Ministry has plans to deliver the benefits right to our clients other then they having to spend money on transport to travel down to towns to access their allowances. This will apply to those who live in the most remote and rural locations, like Namosi. We are working with the turaga-ni-koros’ and the provincial councils to identify the areas that will need this service. The welfare allowances which the Ministry provides on a monthly basis, we want those to be spent on the welfare of your families and not in paying for the transport costs, which some of our clients are facing at the moment.
“Similarly, for the Food Vouchers, we are looking at the option where the food packs that you need can be delivered to you on a monthly basis. This is so that you don’t have to spend money to travel to towns, unless you choose do to so, you will be given choices. This is why we are having these consultations, so we can work on the best ways to assist you,” Mrs Akbar said.
She also informed that the monthly Social Pension Scheme would increase to $50 from January next year.
“The Ministry encourages those who are 70 years and over, with no form of superannuation funds like FNPF or after care fund to apply for the Social Pension Scheme. The Pension will increase from $30 to $50 from next year and comes July, those who are 68 years old will also qualify for this $50 pension,” Mrs Akbar said.
Currently, the Ministry is reaching out to 17,000 people through its Poverty Benefiting Scheme, with a total of 2211 recipients for the Care and Protection Program. The Social Pension Scheme has a total of 11,194 recipients and with more than 40,000 beneficiaries for the government’s Bus Fare Concession. Likewise, 1003 pregnant mothers in rural areas are also benefiting from the government’s Expanded Food Voucher Program.