Guyana’s President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has announced a one-off $200,000 cash grant for every household in Guyana.

According to a report by News Room Guyana, distribution is expected to begin immediately.

The President also announced free tertiary education at the University of Guyana, and a $10,000 universal healthcare voucher for each child, for tests to detect and possibly prevent non-communicable diseases as early as possible.

Another announcement was that government had earmarked $10 billion for the National Insurance Scheme to help support Guyana’s elderly, particularly those who have not made enough contributions to the pension scheme.

The announcements were made during a special address to Guyana’s 12th Parliament today.