The Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation is set to increase cash assistance payments for pregnant women and children under 2 from August 1.
The payments will see pregnant women receiving 80,000 riel ($20) four times before childbirth, 400,000 riel at birth, and further payments of 80,000 riel 10 times post-birth.
Chhour Sopanha, the ministry’s secretary of state in charge of the National Social Assistance Fund (NSAF), explained the new assistance rates during a training course.
He noted that the new rates would be doubled from the previous ones, while mothers of twins and triplets would receive adjusted amounts according to the number of children.
“This increase is recommended by Prime Minister Hun Sen, exclusively for pregnant women and children under 2, which is a permanent programme. However, other non-permanent programmes have not seen an increase,” he said.
Sopanha encouraged women and families with equity cards to register in their local communes.
NSAF deputy director-general Chour Rattanak recalled that the cash assistance programme has been in effect since June 2019. The initiative uses mobile applications for registering beneficiaries and tracking their health examinations.
“From the programme’s inception until July 10, a total of 326,230 beneficiaries had been registered. The state has spent a total of $24,485,629,” he said.
