Guyana’s state-owned Chronicle newspaper has reported that the Ministry of Finance has firmly rejected claims in the public domain that deceased individuals have been registered to receive the government’s GYD 100,000 cash grant.
According to the publication, in a statement issued on Tuesday, the Ministry reassured citizens that the cash grant process is meticulously designed to prevent ineligible individuals, including deceased persons, from receiving payments.
On October 16, 2024, the President of Guyana, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, announced that Guyanese 18 years and older are eligible to receive a one-off cash grant of 100,000 Guyana dollars or about $US 500.
To qualify for the grant, individuals must verify their identity as a Guyanese national by showing they own a valid national identification card and/or a valid passport.
Eligible citizens must physically present themselves at both the registration and payment stages.
Officials have explained that the physical presence requirement ensures that only living individuals who meet the eligibility criteria can be processed.
After the cash grant announcement in October, the President of the Guyana Saint Lucia Association, Patrick Chester, told St. Lucia Times he was excited about the initiative.
Chester saw the grants as giving back.
“It’s a situation where the interest that they get from the oil money, they need to make sure that the citizens share in the wealth. So that’s the general idea, showing that look, all this money that you heard is being made, we’re giving it back to you, you get something from it you don’t have to do anything, here’s some money,” he stated.
