Electricity subsidy for pensioners to be implemented by September

TIMES INT'L

The subsidy announced to assist pensioners to pay their electricity bills is expected to be implemented by September this year, Human Services and Social Security Minister Jenifer Webster said.
During a programme aired on the National Communications Network, Webster indicated that the ministry has been working with the Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL) to have all pensioners entitled to a government subsidy placed on the GPL database.
She explained that the system will work through using the same mechanism as was used for the water subsidy.
GPL recently said it had identified more than 6000 pensioners on its customer base that will benefit from government’s annual provision of Gy$ 20,000 as assistance for the payment of electricity charges.
The company has received a list of 12,000 pensioners from Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and Seven thus far from the ministry. Minister Webster is encouraging pensioners to contact the ministry or the GPL office in their region in order to benefit from the offer.
Pensioners are to take along their National Identification card, their pension book and their GPL bill. She urged pensioners in the regions to contact the GPL offices or the Probation and Social Services office in their region. “We are working to ensure that the process is concluded as soon as possible in a coherent manner,” she stated.
The minister explained that the subsidy will be paid to GPL and credited to the pensioner’s account.
The amount will be credited to the account until it is utilised based on their use of electricity. GPL will use the listing of names provided by the ministry and match it with their own database in order to compile a database for the persons to benefit from the subsidy.
The sum of Gy$ 590 million has been allocated in the 2013 budget for this annual benefit afforded to pensioners by government.
This is in addition to the waiver of pensioners’ water bill to the Guyana Water Incorporated.

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