In the wake of the tragic discovery of 74-year-old Doodhani ‘Mary’ Sooknanan’s decomposing body at her Edinburgh 500 residence, Chaguanas East MP and Minister of People, Family Development and Social Services Vandana Mohit has issued a forceful condemnation against violence targeting senior citizens. Speaking at a UNC press conference on January 11, Minister Mohit emphasized that while specific details of the ongoing investigation remain undisclosed, her government maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward elder abuse and called for collective action to protect vulnerable elderly populations.
Simultaneously, Minister Mohit presented a comprehensive overview of her ministry’s substantial social welfare initiatives, vehemently denying allegations of reduced grant funding. She confirmed that all January 2026 social services grants were processed and disbursed by January 1, acknowledging only a minor delay attributable to technical issues at the National Insurance Board.
The minister revealed that approximately $3 billion in pension payments has been distributed to 100,000 senior citizens through these programs. Between May and December 2025, the government allocated millions in social assistance, including $60 million through the food support program (benefiting 275+ new recipients), over $1 million in home repair grants, and $4 million in disaster relief assistance.
Notable innovations include the inaugural implementation of temporary food card support, with Members of Parliament across all 41 constituencies receiving 60 food cards valued at $550 each for distribution during the Divali season. This initiative expanded during Christmas with 250 food cards per constituency, representing a $5 million investment.
Minister Mohit announced forthcoming reforms to the standard means test assessment, promising modernization that would enhance fairness and better reflect contemporary socio-economic conditions. Additional initiatives include examining child poverty studies, developing a $5 million women’s health fund to address period poverty, and creating structural support systems for disabled citizens.
The ministry is also addressing administrative backlogs through collaboration between NIB and the Immigration Division, with formal mechanisms currently in development. In sports infrastructure, Cabinet has approved designs for an inclusive sporting arena to complement the National Therapeutic and Resource Centre for Persons with Disabilities, which began preliminary operations in December 2025 and is scheduled to open fully after staffing and equipment finalization.