A week after Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering announced His Majesty The King’s command to extend the Druk Gyalpo’s Relief Kidu (DGRK) for another 15 months, a total of 19,341 applications have applied for the Monthly Income Support and 7,374 borrowers have registered for the Loan Interest Payment Support.
The announcement was made on April 22 and by April 29, there were 17,428 people who re-applied for the monthly income support. And 1,913 were new applicants.
A spokesperson for the DGRK explained that beneficiaries of the past year were required to re-apply if they still continue to face difficulties because of the COVID-19 pandemic. All eligible applicants will receive kidu from the month in which they apply.
The applications are open on a three-month cycle to provide flexibility when applying for the kidu. The spokesperson explained that economic opportunities and impact vary among different sectors. And over time so, since it is difficult to foresee and plan for the next 15 months, a shorter three-monthly cycle provides a flexible and reasonable timeline for applicants to assess their situation and make decisions.
Applicants for the DGRK Interest Payment Support who continue to require kidu support also must apply after every three months, using the registration credentials. The applications that opened on April 26 will be open until July 10 for the three-month period of April to June 2021.
Out of 2,965 loan accounts that have been registered so far, 2,938 loan accounts require kidu and 27 do not require kidu.
Applicants have been asked to visit the DGRK website at www.royalkidu.bt for details. The DGRK also responds to telephone calls at 1186/1187/1188 and 1025/1026/1027 for loan interest payment kidu. The number for Phuntsholing is 1184.
