Over 7,000 recipients from different social welfare programmes were removed from the beneficiary list.

Minister Mereseini Vuniwai says this was after the Recertification programme was done to review all the recipients under the different schemes of the ministry and have noted that these recipients are not eligible.

Vuniwaqa says the new allocation from the 2021/2022 National Budget will help the Ministry continue to support eligible recipients.

“The Ministry will continue to review case files to ensure that only eligible beneficiaries are actually receiving allowances. I assure social welfare beneficiaries that their entitlements will not be affected in this new budget. The ministry’s budget is going towards other governments programmes that have the same aim of living no one behind during this trying times.”

Vuniwaqa says the Poverty Benefit Scheme that currently assisting 25,000 households has been allocated $36m.

The Care and Protection Allowance caters for eight thousand households and the allowance depends on the number of dependents per household.

The social pension scheme is allocated $55.3m where 45,000 recipients are currently under this scheme from the ages 65 years and over and receives $100 monthly.

More than 52,000 senior citizens and people with disabilities continue with the government bus fare initiative.

Food vouchers for rural pregnant mother’s allocation stands at $1.2m.

Over eight thousand people with disabilities are currently receiving an allowance under the Disability Scheme which allocates $10.7m.