Vice President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday disclosed that the Government of Guyana (GoG) has embarked on creating an app to streamline the distribution of the $100,000 cash grant to citizens 18 years and older.
He made this disclosure during his press conference held at Freedom House, Georgetown.
“As we speak, the app is undergoing some tests,” he said. The Ministry of Finance is taking the lead on this task.
The Vice President further explained that the app will have some fields that citizens will have to fill up before the money is processed. These include name, address, phone number, passport or identification number.
“They are building a geo locator in the app so you can actually know where people are…” Jagdeo said.
Moreover, he also stated that while no residency is required to receive the grant, Guyanese living abroad will have to return to go through a registration process in order to receive the cash grant. Jagdeo said, “It will not be paid overseas…We have no intention of going to New York or Toronto…”
Additionally, the Vice President underscored that the government does not want to rush the process, hence it will take about five months. He indicated that rushing the process can lead to corruption or persons who are not eligible receiving the grant. “We will take enough time to build a robust system,” Jagdeo said.
The Vice President also addressed concerns about where the money will be coming from. According to him, the funds for the distribution of the cash grant will come from the treasury.
