SINGAPORE - About 160,000 eligible Singaporeans will receive $100 worth of grocery vouchers next month to support them with their household expenses amid the Covid-19 pandemic. This is part of the Care and Support Package announced at last year's Budget. All Singaporeans aged 21 and above this year who live in one- and two-room Housing Board flats and do not own more than one property are eligible for the vouchers, said the Ministry of Finance in a statement on Monday (Sept 27). The grocery voucher scheme will provide a total of about $63 million in assistance to those eligible. Last year, the recipients received $300 in vouchers. The vouchers will be delivered to eligible households on Saturdays throughout next month, from Oct 2. Eligible recipients in Chinatown, Queenstown and Bukit Merah, for instance, will have their vouchers delivered to their doorstep on Oct 2. If there is no one at home to receive the vouchers that day, there will be a second delivery attempt over the following week, between Oct 4 and Oct 8. If there is no one to pick up the second delivery as well, the courier will leave a delivery notification card at the doorstep for recipients to collect their vouchers at a specified post office within 10 working days. The grocery vouchers can be used at supermarkets including Giant, FairPrice, Prime Supermarket and Sheng Siong. In October last year, grocery vouchers were delivered to letterboxes at HDB blocks, leading to a series of voucher thefts islandwide. Letterboxes were forcibly pried open in various neighbourhoods. For instance, a 34-year-old woman used an improvised device comprising a pen, a fishing hook and sticky tape to steal $450 worth of vouchers from letterboxes in Kim Tian Place. More on this topic Related Story S'pore households to get $900m support package, including $100 CDC vouchers
SINGAPORE - The second batch of $150 grocery vouchers to help less well-off Singaporeans living in one- and two-room Housing Board flats will be given out over the next four Saturdays, from Dec 12, this time directly to the homes of recipients. This comes after about 229 sets of the previous batch of vouchers were stolen from letterboxes, some damaged or unlocked. The Ministry of Finance (MOF) said the changed delivery method should "better balance safety, security and convenience to recipients". For those not at home after SingPost agents try to deliver it twice, recipients will be notified to collect their vouchers at a specified post office within 10 working days. The grocery vouchers were announced by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat earlier in the year during the Budget presentation. About 150,000 eligible recipients, Singaporeans aged 21 years and above living in one- and two-room flats, and who do not own more than one property, will get $300 each this year and a further $100 in October next year. The first $150 was already given out in an exercise in October. Mr Heng said some recipients have shared how the vouchers have made a difference to them, and hoped this second set of vouchers will similarly help households defray their expenses. "During this challenging period, we know that household expenses may be weighing on the minds of less well-off families among us," said Mr Heng, who is also Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies and Minister for Finance. "We had earlier disbursed the first tranche of the Grocery Vouchers in October, which helped to defray the recipients' household expenses. I hope that the second round of vouchers will provide additional assistance." More on this topic Related Story 63-year-old man probed for theft of grocery vouchers and lodging false police report Related Story Parliament: 55 arrested for theft of Budget 2020 grocery vouchers; future vouchers may go digital, says Indranee Rajah As of Oct 28, 55 people have been arrested for stealing the grocery vouchers. Second Minister for Finance Indranee Rajah said in Parliament that digital vouchers had been ruled out as recipients may not own a smartphone, have a mobile data plan or have the digital know-how.
SINGAPORE - A man and woman linked to a series of thefts of Budget 2020 Grocery Vouchers from HDB letterboxes across Singapore have been charged in court. Miqheul Wahyudean Abdullah, 24, was charged with three counts of theft, while Irwani Nur Amira Azami, 23, was charged with two counts of theft. Miqheul and Irwani were arrested on Wednesday (Oct 14) for allegedly stealing Budget vouchers from HDB letterboxes. They had allegedly worked together sometime between 8pm on Oct 6 and 3.30am on Oct 7 to pry open letterboxes at Block 872 Tampines Street 86. The duo stand accused of stealing 15 grocery vouchers valued at $10 each from the letterboxes of two victims. The total amount allegedly stolen totalled $300. Miqheul had allegedly stolen vouchers at the same location on a separate occasion, and was charged for an additional count of theft. The duo are set to appear in court again on Nov 6, as investigations into their case are still ongoing. If convicted of theft, an offender may be jailed up to three years, fined, or both. Separately, the police also arrested five others - three men and two women - for their suspected involvement in the theft of these grocery vouchers at other locations across Singapore. A 37-year-old woman, was previously reported to have been apprehended on Sunday for allegedly stealing Budget 2020 Grocery Vouchers at a residential block in Toa Payoh Lorong 7. Also arrested were a 41-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman on Wednesday for the alleged theft of the vouchers at a residential block in Marsiling Road. More on this topic Related Story 7 arrested for alleged theft of Budget 2020 Grocery Vouchers from HDB letterboxes across Singapore Related Story More letterboxes tampered with, grocery vouchers for lower-income S'poreans allegedly stolen Related Story Five 18-year-old youths arrested for theft, vandalism of letterboxes in Singapore On Thursday, two 54-year-old men were arrested in separate cases for allegedly stealing vouchers at flats in Telok Blangah Rise and Holland Close. Police investigations into these cases are ongoing, but in a statement on Thursday, the Singapore Police Force said that these theft cases are "likely unrelated and opportunistic in nature". The police have also received reports of similar incidents in other residential estates and said they are "intensifying our efforts with a view to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice". More on this topic Related Story Courts & Crime: Read more stories Members of the public who are eligible for the Budget 2020 Grocery Vouchers are advised to collect them from their letterbox as soon as possible, and keep their letterbox secured at all times. Those who suspect their vouchers have been stolen should make a police report immediately and call the Grocery Voucher hotline on 1800-2222-888 to request for their vouchers to be voided and replaced. Voided vouchers cannot be redeemed.