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Golding wants $50,000 grant for families impacted by virus downturn

Published:Wednesday | March 18, 2020 | 3:38 PM
Opposition spokesperson on finance Mark Golding - File photo

Opposition spokesperson on finance Mark Golding is urging the Government to provide a mitigation grant of $50,000 per family under the Programme for the Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH).

He is proposing that the money be distributed over a two to three month period.

Golding and other spokespersons from the People’s National Party (PNP) were addressing journalists earlier this afternoon via video conference in keeping with stipulations for social distancing in the wake of the COVID-19 spread.

The allocation, said Golding, would put cash in the hands of those who need it most and would benefit 100,000 families or a total of 300,000 Jamaicans.

He said the sum would be a substantial safety net for the most vulnerable who would be impacted by the contraction in the economy.

The PNP spokesperson on finance has also recommended that the government pump an additional $5 million into the Constituency Development Fund to boost the welfare allocation for the period of the coronavirus crisis.

He said the amount could be disbursed by the Social Development Fund to address cases of severe hardships identified by the political representatives on the ground.

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