Unemployed people living in Vanua Levu will have the opportunity to apply for one-off assistance of $100 with the specifics to be announced soon.
The Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says in this budget they have allocated $13 million towards unemployment assistance for Vanua Levu.
Sayed-Khaiyum says this programme also includes one-off assistance of $50 to all social welfare recipients in Fiji.
He says the bus fare subsidy for the elderly and disabled will be increased from the current $10 to $25 per month at a total cost of $6 million dollars benefitting close to 40,000 Fijians.
Sayed-Khaiyum says in 2021, government provided $430 million through its unemployment assistance programme directly to more than 400,000 people in the formal and informal sectors.
He says this programme was targeted at the population in Viti Levu because of the prolonged lockdowns and restrictions on the island.
