SINGAPORE: Over 650,000 Singaporean households have claimed the latest tranche of S$300 CDC vouchers in just two days, according to Low Yen Ling, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry.

In January, households received S$500 in vouchers, bringing the total value to S$800 per household for 2024. This distribution is part of a broader initiative launched in December 2021, which aims to generate S$900 million in spending at participating hawkers and heartland businesses by the end of 2024.

To date, the scheme has already facilitated nearly S$650 million in expenditure within these local sectors.

Overall, Singaporean households have redeemed over S$1 billion in CDC vouchers across four tranches. More than 23,000 hawkers and heartland merchants are currently participating in the scheme, benefiting from increased customer reach and the push towards digital payment adoption.

Ms Low noted that over 90% of heartland shops now offer at least one e-payment solution, and about two-thirds have adopted digital tools and platforms such as Google Business Profiles, Carousell, and Shopback.

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The CDC vouchers scheme was first introduced in June 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic to assist lower-income households with their daily expenses and to support local merchants and hawkers affected by the economic downturn.

The scheme was expanded to all households in December 2021 to acknowledge Singaporeans’ solidarity during the pandemic and to help with the recovery of heartland businesses. /TISG

Read also: More CDC vouchers released with cash payouts coming in September and December 2024

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