SINGAPORE — About 46,000 applications by Singaporeans and permanent residents for the Covid-19 Support Grant were rejected, Mr Masagos Zulkifli said on Wednesday (Oct 14).

This was out of the 133,000 individuals who applied for the grant, the Social and Family Development Minister said in a written answer to a parliamentary question by Ms Ng Ling Ling, Member of Parliament for Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency.

More than 83,000 applications were approved and 4,000 are being processed, he added.

Individualsare eligible for the grant are those who have lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic, or have been placed on involuntary no-pay leave for three consecutive months, or had their income cut by at least 30 per cent for at least three consecutive months.

The Covid-19 Support Grant provides successful applicants with S$800 a month for three months.

However, some criteria need to be met. For example, an applicant’s previous gross monthly household income cannot exceed S$10,000, or the monthly per capita income cannot go above S$3,100.

Mr Masagos said that out of the 46,000 unsuccessful applicants, about 2,500 of them were rejected due to these income criteria.

He added that the ministry’s social service offices will assess these applications on a case-by-case basis and can exercise some flexibility to support households in difficult circumstances even if they exceed the household income criterion.