Saturday $50 stimulus payment postponed

By Soli Wilson 23 October 2020, 1:00PM

The distribution of the Government's $50 tala stimulus cash payment at the E.F.K.S. Youth Hall, Sogi and TATTE Building will not take place this Saturday, says the Samoa Bureau of Statistics.

It will be the second consecutive Saturday for the S.B.S. to defer the distribution of the stimulus package funding. 

In the past few months, hundreds of people have flocked to the two venues to pick up their $50 tala as part of the Government's COVID-19 stimulus package. 

In order to receive the stimulus funding, people must complete registration for the 2021 National Census.

However, a signed notice by the S.B.S. Head Statistician, Aliimuamua Malaefono Faasalaina, stated that the programme will not happen as the organisation’s staff will continue to carry out operations in the villages.

The staff are focusing on villages in Upolu, Manono and Apolima.

The notice also advised members of the public, who have not been included on their household lists of residents, to call and notify the S.B.S. before the end of this month.

For families who missed the S.B.S. teams’ village visits have been asked to contact the office to schedule a time for a visit.

Most were at work and school and others had other commitments when the S.B.S. teams visited their homes to take account of household members as part of the pre-census and national I.D. projects.

The pre-census survey is an exercise in preparation for the next national population census scheduled for next year.

Meanwhile, the National I.D. Project which has been in the pipeline since 2017 has hit a snag due to funding shortfall – its funding was completed by the World Bank in 2018.

In 2019, the S.B.S. project was jump-started by a Cabinet directive which led to the recruiting of a consultant firm to build Samoa’s National I.D. system.

A Norwegian consultant company has been contracted to work on the project with the S.B.S. and the Ministry of Communication, Information and Technology.

By Soli Wilson 23 October 2020, 1:00PM
Samoa Observer

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