The government, with the start of a new phase of livelihood support and the increase in the value of the food voucher, is changing the method of identifying households. From October 7, instead of using traditional income deciles, beneficiaries of livelihood support will be identified based on a set of income and asset indicators.
Change in the Model of Identifying Households
Ahmad Meidari, the Minister of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare, has announced that this change will categorize households into three groups: low, medium, and high income, instead of focusing on a specific decile. This new method allows the government to gather information from various sources to obtain a more accurate picture of households' economic conditions.
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Meidari has also emphasized that decile classification as an analytical tool can no longer be used as the main basis for subsidy payments. According to him, this new model helps individuals better understand their actual economic status, and the government can also target its support more effectively.
Securing Financial Resources and Increasing the Value of Food Vouchers
Seyed Ali Madani Zadeh, the Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, has announced that approximately 40 to 44 million people have been identified to receive increased food voucher credits. However, the final figure for the increase in credits and the timing of its implementation depend on securing financial resources. The information used in this new method includes income levels and some asset indicators such as property and vehicle ownership.
This change in the identification system allows the government to focus on more specific target groups within society. In fact, not all households may receive the same increase in credits, and support may be allocated more purposefully to those in need.
One of the important issues in this process is securing financial resources. Meidari has stated that the Central Bank has proposed a 50% increase in food voucher credits, but Madani Zadeh has announced a figure of 300,000 tomans, which is 30%. This indicates that the government is still in the process of reviewing and finalizing the financial resources and the implementation mechanism of this plan.
Efforts to Target Livelihood Support
The government is seeking to create a new model in which, instead of relying entirely on income deciles, target groups are identified based on a combination of income and assets. This change could help improve the livelihood conditions of needy households while preserving their purchasing power against rising prices of essential goods.
Given the current economic conditions of the country, securing sustainable resources for implementing this policy remains a significant challenge. Therefore, the government must pay special attention to the quality of data and the accuracy of the information collected from households to make the best use of these changes.
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