Two thousand people have given up their food cards says Dr Glenn Ramadharsingh, the Minister of the People and Social Development. He was speaking with reporters during the start of a Direct Effect walkabout at Lime Fruit Road, Freeport, yesterday. Ramadharsingh said the 2,000 people were able to voluntarily give up their food cards after finding sustainable employment. He said an additional 7,000 people were taken off the programme when his ministry discovered that they did not qualify.
Ramadharsingh said his ministry was not giving out a food card for life. He said that beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme (CCTP) were re-evaluated every three months, and that people who are taken off the programme can appeal. Ramadharsingh said one purpose of his walkabouts was to see how ready communities are for the rainy and hurricane seasons, in terms of drainage and the housing structures that they live in.
On Friday, Ramadharsingh visited the home of nine-year-old Shelly Lallack and promised to arrange tutoring for the child through his ministry. Lallack, who has metal braces passing through her left leg, remains on a wheelchair. In April, she was struck by a car while playing in her yard at Powdharie Road, Freeport. The child suffered multiple broken bones and was in intensive care. Lallack, who attended the Preysal Government School, may not be able to walk until next year.