By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
Over 6,5000 beneficiaries in Katsina State will receive the Federal government’s Cash Grant for Vulnerable Groups.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Umar Farouq made this known at the flag off of 7 projects in Katsina state and other poverty eradication programmes of the ministry held in Katsina on Thursday.
Farouq said that Katsina ranked amongst one of the highest with 6511 beneficiaries due to the insurgency in the region.
“Our Grant for Vulnerable Groups target in Katsina State is to disburse grants to a total of 6,511 beneficiaries across the 34 Local Government Areas of the State, worth over N130 million. This is one of the highest slots in the country and is majorly because we took into account the impact of the insurgency, banditry and large volume of IDPs in the state.
“While the target of this Cash Grant project is to increase income and productive assets of the target beneficiaries, it is highly expected that the beneficiaries will utilise the grant to improve their productivity, create wealth, generate employment and improve their standard of living. “
The Minister also launched the Digitized Conditional Cash Transfer payment system for prompt payment of Cash Transfer to families as about two million HouseHolds are currently benefitting from the CCT programme Nationwide. All households are granted a monthly N5,000 for a period of 2 years.
The Minister also distributed Cooking utensils to primary schools in the state as the National Home Grown School Feeding flagged off the National Sensitization Exercise for the School Feeding Programme.
Engagement letters and digital monitoring devices were distributed to 93 Independent Monitors on stream II by the Minister, to enhance their monitoring and reporting responsibilities.
Under the Youth Empowerment and Social Support Operations (YESSO),
the Minister flagged -off payment of a one-off grant of N50,000 to 600 selected Internally Displaced Persons
which will also include persons with disabilities and senior citizens.
Food and non-food items were also presented to flood victims in the affected thirteen (13) Local Government Area councils in the state.
All poverty alleviation programmes are targeted towards the social inclusion agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years, the ministry said.
