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Donna Cox Tells Elderly and Disabled Starve for Two Months
Posted On 02 Feb 2022
How callous and heartless the Minister of Social Development and Family Services, Senator the Honourable Donna Cox, can be?
After 1,836 cheques were reported stolen, following a break-in at the TT Post Office in Sangre Grande, the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services has temporarily stopped the encashment of ALL cheques related to Social Welfare Grants, at Groceries, Supermarkets and Retail Establishments, for the months of February and March, 2022.
Most of the recipients of these cheques depend on them to survive on a month-to-month basis, to buy groceries, pay bills and purchase their CDAP medication when it is not available, so how can the Minister put a hold on payments for two months?
So, what these 96,000 citizens are supposed to do for the next two months, starve?
So, these cheques don’t have Region and Batch numbers that they can identify and cancel the stolen batch and reissue new cheques that these vulnerable families can get some food or their tables?
Or is this a deliberate ploy by the Ministry to not pay Senior Citizens Pension and Grants for the next two months because the Ministry is broke?
We saw recently, the Ministry stopped the processing of new Food Card applications and reviewing existing cards due to shortage of funds.
The Minister needs to come clean because these vulnerable families can’t put their hunger on hold and don’t eat for two months.
MP for Chaguanas East Vandana Mohit
Shadow Minister of Social Development and Family Services
