Vuniwaqa: Why the welfare recertification process
Ms Vuniwaqa said in most cases families stepped up to repay the money back to government. In those circumstances, we let it rest there.
Come to us before we come for you, is the warning given to those who are illegally benefitting from social welfare assistance schemes.
The Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation is currently carrying out a recertification process to identify legitimate welfare recipients and to root out fraudulent beneficiaries.
It started in January this year and will end tomorrow.
Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Mereseini Vuniwaqa said the ministry had encountered fraud cases before which was one of the main reasons behind the recertification process. She made the comments in an interview during the handover of library books and a sewing machine to the Suva SDA Primary School by the ministry.
Ms Vuniwaqa said in most cases families stepped up to repay the money back to Government.
“In those circumstances, we let it rest there,” she said.
“It will depend on the cases that come before us. I am encouraged that in most of these cases families stepped up and paid back the money.
“In some cases the recipients have died and the money have been paid into an account when the recipient is not there anymore and the families would just come out and tell us and we would just go to the bank and the money is reimbursed to Government.” Ms Vuniwaqa said it does not mean that the ministry would not refer matters to the Police if there was a need.
These is no provision for online submission of recertification forms.
“Beneficiaries need to front up to the office for us to see them. And in certain communities where it is impossible for somebody to come to the office, we will make provision for staff to go there, but what’s critical is for staff to see them. There is no online submissions, we have to see them physically,” she said.
Asssistance
At the handover, the assistance which will enhance the learning experience of SDA students, will benefit 724 students of the school. Ms Vuniwaqa hopes students will also discover their purpose.
“We can have the qualifications to hold positions in Government, especially our ministry. We can have degrees and masters and PHD’s, but if we don’t have compassion all this will come to naught,” she said.