Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra on Wednesday announced that the second Universal Family Bonus worth S/760 (US$223) will be paid starting October 10, in order to benefit 8.4 million families affected by the coronavirus pandemic nationwide.
"The payment of the second Universal Family Bonus will be made starting this week, on October 10. But most importantly, we want you (the beneficiaries) to help us, by not gathering outside the banks, because you do not need to visit these institutions to make queries," he explained.
"This is a joint effort. The Ministry of Labor will take care of the payment to urban beneficiaries, and the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion will be in charge of the rural ones, which will be more complicated given the distance of locations," he added.
The Head of State reported that there is a payment schedule for the second Universal Family Bonus with the aim of avoiding crowds.
"The payment process will not be completed in one week. It would be impossible because we have to reach 8.4 million beneficiary households. Imagine what may happen if the payment process is completed in one week or 15 days. That is why there is a schedule, to avoid crowds, which may become COVID-19 hot spots," he affirmed.
"There is a call center, which will handle a volume of 1,300 calls at the same time. Therefore, you do not need to go the bank to make queries. Besides, there is a web link that people can click on to that end. So, there are direct ways to know if you are or not eligible to receive this benefit," he added.
The Peruvian leader clarified that those who benefited from
the first finanical grant will receive the second Universal Family Bonus as well.
"Starting tomorrow, we will launch a communication campaign —through media outlets, in a simple, clear, and didactic way— to teach the population how to access said link," he said.
Today's remarks were made in a press conference held at the National Museum of Archaeology (MUNA) in Lima during a break of a new session of the Council of Ministers.
(END) CNA/JJN/RMB
Published: 10/7/2020