The Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) on Wednesday affirmed that the 2021 General Budget Bill is intended to allocate S/4.82 billion (around US$1.36 billion) to expand the coverage of social programs as part of the measures to alleviate poverty.
The bill also takes the closing of the universal health coverage gap into account.
According to the government official, this money will go to social programs such as Juntos, Cuna Mas and Contigo.
"442,000 households are expected to be added to Juntos," she said. This represents a 66% increase in the goal, compared to the usual coverage, going from 670,000 to 1,113,000 families.
In the case of Juntos, eligible households are entitled to a monthly cash transfer of S/200 (about US$57) if families meet certain conditions. For example, children are required to attend vaccination check-ups and receive iron supplements.
At Cuna Mas, "we are adding 75,000 households, with children under 36 months old, and there is a significant line of action here in order to protect early childhood," she stated.
As for Contigo, the high-ranking official explained that the plan is to increase the coverage from 40,000 to 74,000 beneficiaries.
"It (Contigo) provides a monthly subsidy of S/300 (around US$84) for people with severe disability in situation of poverty," she added.
(END) MMG/JJN/RMB/MVB
Published: 9/2/2020