As Government moves to rein in undocumented food cards currently in circulation, affected members of the public have complained that they were being “embarrassed” when they visited the grocery and were forced to walk away empty-handed as their cards were being declined due to a lack of funds.
Speaking minutes after visiting the Food Card Division, Tunapuna, a man from Lopinot said, “I not in any bobol, but it have other people who using this and don’t need it.”
The 52-year-old man claimed he had not received any money during the month of April and that he had come to the office in order to ensure that he received the allocation for the month of May.
Confirming that he had come to “sort out this nonsense,” the man, who asked that his name not be published, added, “There are genuine people who need the help but it really have people who doing they business underhanded and making it bad for all of us.”
The man said he had now registered for the new biometric card which features the name of the applicant as well as their picture and fingerprints. An unemployed middle-aged woman and mother of three said she was accustomed to using the card but had been forced to return her groceries after the card was declined last week.
Earlier this week, Social Development and Family Services Minister, Cherrie-Ann Crichlow-Cockburn, confirmed that approximately 11,800 food cards had been deactivated up to May 1.
She said it was done in an attempt to update the ministry’s records and ensure that those who really needed it were able to access the government grant under the Targeted Conditional Cash Transfer Programme (TCCTP).
The minister said the hold which had been placed on the cards would remain in effect for the next three months.
Prior to the move, advertisements were issued in the electronic and print media inviting the public to visit the various offices to register for the biometric card but these were largely ignored.
Although Crichlow-Cockburn said the public’s initial response was slow in coming for various reasons, officials at the Tunapuna office said they were now battling the overwhelming public response as hundreds of people were coming in daily to regularise their status after they were unable to use the card.
Opting not to provide their names or positions, well-placed officials said, “It was ridiculous as to the number of cards that were in operation, that were undocumented and still not known.”
Although the programme came into effect in 2006, officials said many of the accounting systems were never enforced. One official said, “Many persons received cards through their churches, temples and MP’s that we do not know about.”
Revealing that under the last regime, all 41 MP’s were provided with 40 temporary food cards each to be distributed at their discretion, officials stressed that it was “a one-time use.” However, it was not certain if this guideline was followed.
Unaware if this arrangement was still in place, the officials denied it was a political move to cut people from the programme. The officials claimed that the Tunapuna office was serving a large catchment area which included parts of St Ann’s East, Arouca, Caroni East, St Joseph, St Augustine, Tunapuna and Lopinot/Bon Air.
Asked to provide a profile of their applicants database, one official said it consisted mainly of single mothers.
A household comprising between one and three persons would qualify for $410; while a family with three to five persons would receive $550; and a group of six or more persons would receive $700.
Estimating that each division racked up a monthly expense of approximately $2 million, the officials said with 13 divisions throughout both islands, it was a huge government bill that had to be met even during this time of recession.