Six months after it was launched and the Nevis Island Administration says the Poverty Alleviation Program continues to be assessed to ensure that only the persons in need of assistance are recipients of the government stipend.
The federally administered program pays $500 each month to households earning less than $3000 monthly.
In April the government reported that over 3800 households in St. Kitts and Nevis were benefitting from the program, which is funded through the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Program.
During a recent media briefing, Nevis Premier Mark Brantley acknowledged that accusations have been floating that persons were receiving the $500 per month who should not.
“We did the first phase and now we’re in the monitoring phase in terms of where people are at because we had the accusation with people calling that Tom is getting it and Tom really shouldn’t get it, and Harry is not getting and should be getting it. So you have to constantly go back and assess and reassess and make sure that we have the necessary and right mechanism that is there.”
Although the number of beneficiaries has steadily increased since the initial payout in December 2018, Premier Brantley confirmed that registration has been closed for some time and if and when it re-opens, an announcement would be made. He emphasized that it was anticipated persons on the program would not stay on it forever and new persons would become beneficiaries based on their circumstances.
“We had invited people to come when the program had launched because that was the time when considerable effort and resources were brought to bear, human and otherwise and financial to get people started on that program. It is a federally administered program; it is done on Nevis through the Minister Eric Evelyn and his Ministry but really the decision-making in that program resides in Basseterre.
“What I will say is it was always the intention for this program that some who are on it will from time to time come off it because it is not meant to be something for life. I’m told registration was closed and has not yet been re-opened, but the intention is that it will be an ongoing process and what will happen is that people who are on it now as their circumstances improve will come off it and people who are not on it, maybe because their circumstance now are good, if they were to fall into difficulty they can get on it.
“So it will require ongoing monitoring. It is intended to be a dynamic process, and we will be in a position when the registration re-opens to make that announcement.”
While the federal government has touted the Poverty Alleviation program as a strategy towards poverty eradication, the Opposition has branded it a political gimmick which gives handouts to the friends and family members of certain politicians.