TIRANA, March 15 /ATA/ –By I. Vata/ – The Defence Minister Olta Xhaçka told a regular session of the parliament on Thursday that a new automated social assistance program is a mechanism to alleviate poverty.
Xhaçka emphasized that the new program had cut off around 19 700 families for false declarations while 10 thousand families have for the first time become eligible to receive cash welfare benefit replacing previous abusers with the scheme.
“Social assistance is a demonstration of the state’s social muscle, a stretched out helping hand and solidarity to ease life of the marginalized groups as part of the co-called social cohesion,” Xhaçka said.
The Defence Minister accused the previous centre-right government of exploiting poverty as a tool to subdue and manipulate the poor and the vulnerable.
“The new program is an added mechanism to reduce poverty among all households and individuals in nee, to end discrimination of the vulnerable groups which need social assistance. It is not a perfect scheme, but it changes by targeting poverty and we are open to any potential amendment that would improve program,” she said.
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