Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Dr Ashni Singh, has explained that the capturing of photos is a necessary step in the registration process for the $100,000 one-off cash grant.
“We are not of course compelling anybody to have their picture taken. You do have the option to choose not to do that but if you do exercise your right to not have your picture taken, you will not be registered,” he said during an interview on the sidelines of an event at the Pegasus Corporate Suites on Tuesday.
This seeks to ensure that the recipient was physically present at the time of registration, and that the person who collects the grant is the same person who registered.
Registration is ongoing, with a significant number already registered in Region Nine, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo. The process has also now begun for public servants.
Dr Singh explained that there is an efficient four-step process that 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 first step is look out for the publication of the registration schedule for your area. When that registration schedule for your area is published, I would ask that everybody of eligible age please turn up and get registered,” Dr Singh urged.
The second stage is the verification of the registrants, which Dr Singh should happen “fairly quickly”.
“We have developed an app that is very efficient in terms of scanning your ID card which is very efficient. You literally scan your ID card and the data is populated immediately,” he pointed out.
The senior minister added, “Step three will be cutting of checks. We are actually going to be cutting checks. And step four will be returning to those places.”
A distribution schedule will be published, and these cheques will be disbursed in the same locations where registration occurred.
“From a citizen standpoint it’s a two-step process. Registration in the first instance and then a second visit to uplift your check. We want this to be done as quickly as possible so we are trying every means available,” he assured.
The government is already seeking over $84 billion in supplementary funding, of which $30.5 billion is expected to accommodate the $100,000 cash grant distribution to every citizen above 18 years of age.
The National Assembly will meet on Wednesday, November 27 to scrutinise the supplementary provisions.
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