Social assistance policy is protecting the poor and vulnerable.
There are probably six main social assistances programmes intact with approximately 100,000 beneficiaries, with the estimated annual budget of FJD$125.l million.
The six main social assistance programmes are:
■ Poverty Benefit Scheme (PBS);
■ Care and Protection Allowance (C&P);
■ Social Pension Scheme (SPS);
■ Disability Allowance (DA);
■ Rural Pregnant Mothers’ Food Voucher (RPM);
■ Bus Fare Scheme (BFS).
These programmes must support the most vulnerable in the communities or among our societies.
Whether it really works well or abused is another issue in question.
The relevant authorities, particularly the social welfare officers, must address these issues in timely manner to avoid further misused or abused by the few.
I believe there is misuse and abuse of the social welfare allowances as per Lynda Tabuya, the Minister responsible.
But I humbly request the Honourable Minister not to touch on the Bus Fare Scheme (BFS) and Social Pension Scheme (SPS), since these two deal with senior citizens of the nation, the very citizens who have sacrificed their lives for Fiji and served the nation with dedication and diligences.
These group of people are most vulnerable, susceptible, weak, defenceless, helpless and the most exposed to many social problems, issues in the societies.
If changes or reviews need to be done, it must be done or carried out for those who are getting other social allowance benefits in the lower age brackets, but not for the senior citizens.
To keep a track of misuses and abuses of the social welfare benefits by the recipients or their family’s members, the department staff must be on their toes to be updated on the recipient records and information and work with the District Advisory Councilors (DAC) for the areas.
DAC members are the eyes and ears of the government and, thus would be most willing to provide the factual details and information about the recipients of the social welfare allowances, whether the allowances are given to the most venerable and deserving ones in their areas.
If the social welfare ministry is really interested to cut down wastage in the system, review for those who are not deserving to get but currently are the recipients of the social welfare allowances.
Let’s move the Ministry of Social Welfare forward and assist to eradicate non-deserving recipients from the social welfare systems and promote senior citizen recipient benefits.
Thank you, madam minister for such initiatives’ and reviewing allowance allocations for the others, but not for senior citizens.
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