Abu Dhabi: The directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to restructure the Social Support Programme for low-income families highlights the leadership’s vision to make the UAE one of the best countries in terms of community empowerment, Hessa Bint Essa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development, said.
“The programme will include a bigger number of families with an aim to translate our leadership’s vision to provide the best quality of life for Emirati citizens,” Buhumaid said. She pointed out that the programme is an important step in the social work sector that reaffirms the UAE’s determination to continue to launch major government initiatives aiming at enhancing the quality of life for Emiratis, particularly for people with low income.
The ministry has also begun receiving applications for inflation allowances from today from those who meet the required criteria and the implementation of the new social support programme will begin in September, the minister said.
Eligible categories can apply through the website and smart application of the Ministry of Community Development at www.mocd.gov.ae. They can apply using either digital identity or registration with the UAE identity.
The programme targets low-income Emirati families whose monthly income is less than Dh25,000 according to the social status.
Buhumaid confirmed that the ministry has immediately embarked on implementing the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed in order to provide support to the eligible categories throughout the country.
With raising the budget of the programme to Dh28 billion, the quantum of annual social support has been raised from Dh2.7 billion to Dh5 billion.
The integrated social support scheme covers various basic needs of low-income families, including the head of household allowance, wife’s allowance and children’s allowance, financial support for housing, as well as inflation allowances for food, water, electricity and fuel and also temporary financial support for job-seeking Emiratis and unemployed citizens over the age of 45 years.
Eligible categories include families whose bread winner’s monthly income is less than the value of the prescribed social assistance for the number of the family’s members. It also includes retired Emiratis whose monthly income is less than the value of the prescribed social assistance for the number of family members.
Older and disabled citizens, as well as people of determination who have no monthly income are also among the eligible categories.
Families of prisoners, orphans and those of unknown parentage, as well as widows and unemployed citizens aged above 45 are also covered under the social assistance scheme.