Minister of Land, Agriculture and Fisheries Clarence Rambharat has dismissed claims that the National Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation (Namdevco) has issued covid19 relief cheques. He said cheques issued by the company were staff wages.

During the Opposition's weekly media briefing on Sunday, Chaguanas East MP Vandana Mohit asked the minister, in the interest of transparency, to address claims that Namdevco had issued covid19 relief cheques.

Mohit said two cheques were left in her mailbox on Saturday night. She said while the Opposition was not opposed to relief efforts by the government, there was need for clarity on the purpose of the cheques.

"It is important for families to know at this time where they can receive assistance because the pressure, sufferation is real out here.

"I will also tell you that we received information that food-supply facilities are being flooded with these cheques so we really need to get some form of clarification from Namdevco whether cheques are being issued to people as a form of relief."

Responding to Newsday's questions via WhatsApp, Rambharat said the cheques Mohit referred to were wage payments for casual labourers at Namdevco's Woodford Lodge facility in Chaguanas. These labourers, he said, work as produce handlers and packers.

He also chided Mohit for trying to discredit the government rather than acting in the best interest of her constituents.

"I can say that MP Mohit has only given 200 names to Namdevco for the veggie/fruit/chicken food support and, like (Barataria / San Juan) MP Saddam Hosein, her time will be better spent providing 400 more names especially from the Enterprise part of the constituency of Chaguanas East since we are entering the last week of May deliveries.

"It’s a shame that MP Mohit will use her ignorance of what a wage payment looks like to embarrass her own constituents and refer to their hard-earned wages as covid relief."

Newsday sent an email to Namdevco CEO Nirmala Debysingh-Persad for comment but did not receive a response up to press time.

The post Rambharat to Chaguanas East MP: Namdevco cheques wages, not covid19 relief appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.

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