All recertified social welfare recipients received their payments for the month of August

Recipients of the Poverty Benefit Scheme, Care and Protection Allowance and Social Pension Scheme that had recertified with the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation received their payments for the month of August.

This has been confirmed by Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Jennifer Poole.

Poole has also confirmed as of July this year, the Poverty Benefit Scheme had 25,106 recipients, 8,049 people are receiving the Care and Protection Allowance, 45,206 people are benefiting from the Social Pension Scheme while 8,228 people received Disability Allowance.

Since January this year, the Ministry has undertaken re-certification of their various programs to free up funds that can be used to help the additional number of Fijians who require assistance through their various social programs.

So far, 67,273 cases have been re-certified while 9,027 people have yet to re-certify.

The Ministry is conducting the Recertification Program to minimize the risk of abuse.