Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Over $800M spent on cash transfer scheme

Over $800M spent on cash transfer scheme

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
People have received assistance from the programme in 2022 showing their benefits cards. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Over $800M spent on cash transfer scheme

The government has so far spent $837.05 million on its cash transfer programme to support poor and vulnerable people due to the impacts of Covid-19, with the scheme recently extended again for another three months.

The programme has now reached its 10th round with 706,060 households as beneficiaries who have received financial support through 28 month-long distribution periods since it kicked off in June 2020, according to the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, in a statement on October 24.

Those who can benefit from the programme are households holding IDPoor I and II cards across the country, totalling nearly three million people.

In addition to the cash transfer programme during the pandemic, the government on October 5 launched another effort to help ease the impacts of inflation on the poor, with around 600,000 households representing two million people benefiting.

Speaking while addressing the Cambodia Outlook Conference 2022 on October 6, Prime Minister Hun Sen said the government put in place this social security fund to support and maintain the stability of livelihoods for poor and vulnerable families.

He said the cash transfer programme for the poor and vulnerable group impacted by Covid-19 will continue until the end of the year, and possibly beyond that, depending on the country’s situation. The aim is to support those who are not yet above the poverty line so that they do not fall further into severe poverty.

He expected that the programme may continue for 2023, noting that should there be any cuts they will be done gradually.

Yang Peou, secretary-general of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, views the cash transfer programme as the government’s duty during the pandemic.

“This is the government’s duty to ensure the livelihoods of all people to enable them to live in dignity. The government must help provide them with suitable livelihoods, even though it will not make them rich,” he said.

Peou said the government has implemented clear measures for helping them because the support was done through the IDPoor system and the measures are not discriminatory based on political alignment or religion, but for all people in Cambodia.

Chhour Sopanha, director-general of the National Social Assistance Fund (NSAF), said earlier that the cash transfer has been divided into three categories basing on geographical locations – the capital, other urban centres and rural areas. Households receive varying amounts of cash based on the number of their members and which area they are in.

A qualified household living in a rural area receives 200,000 riel ($50) per month, while in the capital and other urban areas they receive on average between $80 and $100 monthly.

MOST VIEWED

  • Ministry orders all schools, public and private, to close for SEA Games

    From April 20 to May 18, all public and private educational institutions will be closed to maintain order and support Cambodia's hosting of the 32nd SEA Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games, said a directive from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Cambodia will host the

  • Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

    Nearly 9,000 visitors – including 2,226 international tourists – gathered at Angkor Wat on March 21 to view the spring equinox sunrise, according to a senior official of the Siem Reap provinical tourism department. Ngov Seng Kak, director of the department, said a total of 8,726 people visited Angkor Wat to

  • Angkor Beer strengthens national pride with golden new look and fresher taste

    Angkor Beer – the "Gold of Angkor" – has a new look, one that is more stylish and carries a premium appeal, as well as a fresher taste and smoother flavour, making it the perfect choice for any gathering. Angkor Beer recently launched its new design, one

  • PM urges end to ‘baseless’ international Ream base accusations

    Prime Minister Hun Sen urges an end to “baseless” foreign accusations surrounding the development of the Kingdom’s Ream Naval Base, as the US has consistently suggested that the base is being expanded to accommodate a Chinese military presence. Hun Sen renewed his calls while

  • Khmer ballet documentary debuts April 1

    A new documentary, The Perfect Motion, or Tep Hattha in Khmer, will premiere to the public on April 1. The documentary film follows two intertwined storylines: the creation of a show called Metamorphosis by the late Princess Norodom Buppha Devi (her very last production) and the

  • Water supply authority assures public shortages over early ‘24

    The Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA) asked for understanding from Phnom Penh residents in some communes where water pressure is weak. They assured residents that all supply issues will be resolved by early 2024, but have suggested that residents use water sparingly in the meantime.