In todays Trinidad Guardian Howai admits babycare grant not finalised There are still some kinks to be worked out with the proposed $500 babycare grant, Finance Minister Larry Howai said yesterday. He admitted that he was not even sure whether the money allocated to babies born to underprivileged parents will run for just one year. The minister made the comment while fielding questions from the media after a post-budget panel discussion hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) at the Hilton Trinidad, St Ann’s. There has been much discussion and criticism of the fund, with many saying it will lead to a further dependency syndrome. Saying the initiative fell under those responsible for social development, Howai said: “What they were thinking is that they wanted to see how that system would work and I am not sure that it is intended for only for one year. “I think you will get the payment in the first year... in other words, it is not something that will be paid on an annual basis to the parent, as opposed to that it will only be for one year.” He said while he made the announcement of the fund in Monday’s budget, the programme’s final details still need to be worked out. [ Click the link to read this article in full guardian.co.tt/news/2014-09-11/howai-admits-babycare-grant-not-finalised ]
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 15:35:01 +0000