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SINGAPORE – Each member of a Singaporean household received an average of $ 1,500 in support related to Covid-19, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat.
Additionally, more than 300,000 Singaporean households have benefited from a voucher scheme launched by the Community Development Councils (CDC) in June to help needy families with daily expenses, he added.
A second tranche of vouchers, worth $ 50 each, will be delivered over the next few months, he told the House on Thursday (October 15).
The government has moved “decisively” to care for Singaporeans, with an unprecedented total of $ 5.9 billion in household transfers this year, he said in a speech to round out a two-day debate on the government’s strategy to emerge stronger from the pandemic.
“This is the largest amount we have disbursed in a single year,” Heng said, noting that more than 2.8 million Singaporeans have benefited from some combination of cash payments from various support schemes.
The $ 1,500 of help that each household member receives on average equals about half a month of their income.
Low- and middle-income households received more help from the Care and Support Package, he said, noting that households in the bottom 50 percent based on per capita household income received the equivalent of two months of their income on average.
Meanwhile, the CDC voucher program, which also aims to support local street vendors and heart merchants, has attracted subscriptions from more than 8,000 merchants.
‘Deep deposit of social reserves’
Heng also highlighted the importance of helping vulnerable groups such as the elderly during the pandemic.
He pointed to the Seniors Go Digital movement launched in May and the 1,000 Digital Ambassadors deployed to help seniors, street vendors and heart businesses acquire digital skills.
More than 28,000 seniors have participated in at least one training program as of the end of September, he said.
He also acknowledged the mental health issues raised by MPs and cited the Covid-19 Mental Wellbeing Task Force and the Youth Mental Wellbeing Network as positive examples of initiatives set up to address concerns in this area.
Heng praised grassroots community movements founded to help those in need, such as Kampung Kakis, a friends-of-the-neighborhood system to support elderly, low-income families and vulnerable residents during the crisis.
“The volunteer ‘kakis’ were the additional eyes and ears of our grassroots leaders, who guided their ‘kakis in need’ to available resources and ensured that vulnerable residents received assistance,” he said.
In addition to those efforts, Mr. Heng encouraged those who could to continue to donate generously during this period.
Donations for Covid-19 related causes on key platforms like Community Chest, Sayang Sayang Fund, and Giving.sg totaled $ 100 million from January to August this year, more than the total donations received by Community Chest and Giving. sg throughout 2019, he said.
He cited the US defense company Lockheed Martin, which donated its payments under the Jobs Support Scheme to the Invictus and Courage Fund programs established by the National Council for Social Service.
“It is comforting to see the deep reservoir of social reserves that we have developed as a cohesive and resilient nation-state,” Heng said.
“This is the spirit of SG Together in action – a community of facts, where we support each other, combine our various strengths, and make sure no one is left behind.”
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