Pearnel Charles Jr - FILE PHOTO
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Minister of Labour & Social Security Pearnel Charles Jr.
A year-and-half after Labour & Social Security Minister Pearnel Charles Jr announced a review of the Government's Programme for Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) to provide greater benefits, he's now announced that an evaluation of the programme is under way.
He was responding to a Gleaner Editorial requesting a status report on the project, including whether policymakers still believe that PATH is the best mechanism to deliver support to poor Jamaicans and to help lift them out of poverty.
In a media release on Saturday, Mr Charles said the review includes a technical examination of the existing Proxy-Means Testing (PMT) model and an exploration of alternative or supplementary models of assessment.
Primarily, PATH is a conditional cash transfer (CCT) programme, under which children, pregnant and lactating women and elderly people, who meet the eligibility criteria, receive bi-monthly support payments. People with disabilities may also qualify for support.
However, school-aged recipients are obligated to regularly attend school, while pregnant women have to attend health support clinics during their pregnancies and up to six months after giving birth.
For the current fiscal year, the government has budgeted J$9.77 billion dollars for PATH payments, but that does not include another $7 billion allocated for school feeding programmes for children who are on the programme.
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