"To eat is first" program will be increased by RD$125

Vice-President Margarita Cedeño de Fernandez announced yesterday that the subsidy called "To eat is first"-a food purchasing subsidy-would be increased by RD$125 a month, going from RD$700 a month to RD$825. This is part of the National Strategy for Poverty Reduction and the Social Training of the Citizens which is carried out by the Cabinet for the Coordination of the Government's Social Policies.

Cedeño announced the measure during a press conference in the Orlando Martinez Salon of the Presidential Palace, during which she said that the RD$125 a month increase will impact on 624,166 needy households in the country. It will represent an increase of RD$78 million a month for the focused monetary transfers.

"This increase comes with an increase in the co-responsibilities and the commitments of the beneficiary families, such as Pap smear testing and mammograms for beneficiaries over 35 years of age, taking iron and folic acid for the pregnant women among other obligations", said Cedeño de Fernandez.