Government Spends $972m Yearly

The Fijian Government spends $972 million annually on poverty alleviation programmes. Minister for Poverty Alleviation, Women and Children, Rosy Akbar said across the government there are 124 poverty alleviation programmes.

Ms Akbar said the ministry looks after the social protection programmes which has close to 150,000 social welfare recipients.

“Previously, we used to have a welfare to workfare programme. Unfortunately, that has been stopped but we do hope to bring it back,” she said.

“With these social protection programmes, the assistance includes cash allowances per month and vouchers.”

“We have a small poverty monitoring unit that helps other ministries look at the performances of their poverty alleviation programmes."

“We hope that this will continue in order to see the impacts of our social protection programmes in trying to assist the poor.”

“Apart from that, if you look at education - free education, subsidised transport, it does have an impact on how families that are suffering from poverty, are able to sustain themselves.”

“The inflation mitigation package that has been rolled out by the Ministry of Economy, close to 200,000 Fijians will be assisted and the payments have started to roll out,” she said.

She said the Government has received positive feedback from the inflation mitigation assistance which was rolled out last Wednesday.

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