Recognising the impact the high cost of living has on citizens, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo said the government has now turned its attention to pensioners.
$5 billion was set aside in the 2022 Budget to ease the cost of living for Guyanese. “We’re starting to look at pensioners to see what we can do in that regard […]. We’re one of the few countries that have launched a lot of these measures" Jagdeo reminded.
The Vice President reminded of the measures that the government has since implemented over the last few months.
These include the provision of cement and steel for small homebuilders, a one-off cash grant for hinterland and riverine communities, free fertilisers for farmers, and other measures.
“We’re also hoping that this $30,000 that the families have received from the government would assist with some of the cost-of-living measures, although it wasn’t designed originally for cost of living" the Vice President added.
The cost of basic food items skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic as supply chains and production levels were interrupted. It grew even worse due to the ongoing Ukraine/Russian war.
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