The Nickerie residents who receive general child allowance (AKB) from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing (Sozavo) recently complained about the inconvenience that they have to endure when the payments take place. Not a single administration has succeeded in making sure that the payment of AKB takes place in a convenient manner. The ministry introduced the Moni Karta but this has not made the inconvenience a thing of the past. A team from the Ministry of Social Affairs visited the Nickerie District last Friday and Saturday to pay people their child allowance. People had also been summoned to pick up their Moni Karta. Pregnant women, senior citizens, sick people and people with little children stood in line throughout most of the day at the District Hall. This is the second payment of AKB since the administration of President Chandrikapersad Santokhi and Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk came into office. People also complained that they received less money both times. “This is not the first time that I didn’t receive the entire sum for a whole year. I received money for 10 months which means that I only got SRD 750 per child,” said most of the people who had received their child allowance. The people made it clear that they feel robbed as they do not know when they will receive the money for the remaining two months. The previous time they also received money for 10 months instead of 12. Another problem is that people also received less money than what they were supposed to receive. A woman complained that when she went to the ATM she saw that she had only received SRD 750 instead of SRD 1,500. Another woman complained that she had to stand in line for ten hours and that she also received half of the money. “I stood in line from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. I had to receive SRD 3,000 but they only transferred SRD 1,500 to my bank account,” said the woman. The head of the department in charge of AKB payments could not be reached for a comment. The people hope that they will no longer have to wait in line in the scorching sun for many hours next time. “I hope that this was the last time that I had to go through this,” said a 40-year-old woman who added that she had to leave her five children home alone and that she had nothing to eat when she stood in line…[+]