Tshering Palden

The Druk Gyalpo’s Relief Kidu will continue for another three months beginning next month.

According to a press release from the Druk Gyalpo’s Relief Kidu office (DGRK), the kidu would be extended until March 2021 and will grant Nu 10,000 and Nu 7,000 for the full and partial monthly amounts, respectively. Individuals who applied between October and December need not re-apply.

Applications can be lodged at www.royalkidu.bt or by calling the following toll free numbers: 1184 for Phuentsholing or Chhukha, and 1186, 1187 or 1188 for other dzongkhags.

Applicants can also contact the respective dzongkhag administration or drangpons.  For queries and assistance, applicants can contact 77359783, 77359784, 77359795, 17342162, 17467860, and 17517356.

Of the 43,855 applications received between April and November, 78 percent or 34,384 applicants received kidu at least once while 9,471 were not eligible and never received kidu.

Over 25,000 children were also covered under the Child Support Kidu of Nu 800 per child per month between April and November. Relief kidu of Nu 1.4 billion has been granted so far through the National Resilience Fund.

The DGRK received close to 34,000 applications between April and June, which reduced to 30,300 applications in Phase II between July and September. 

In Phase III, as of November 30, there were 23,532 applications of which 20,995 were re-applicants and 2,258 were new applicants.

An additional 403 applications have been received between  December 1 and 23.

Between April and October, 1,394 kidu recipients withdrew their applications, of which 1,060 did not re-apply.

While daily applications had dropped to less than 100 from October 24, applications, which had averaged around 10 per day in December, have been increasing following the announcement of the lockdown on December 20. The DGRK office received 119 applications on the day the second nationwide lockdown began on December 23.

Of the 34,384 recipients, 54 percent of the kidu recipients were male and 46 percent were female. A total of 7,731 have received kidu from April until November.

The majority of the kidu recipients are in the 20-29 year age group (51 percent of total recipients), have a middle or higher secondary education level (46 percent), and are from the tourism sector (34 percent). Followed by 12 percent from the transport sector and 3,086 returnees from abroad received kidu.

In terms of current residence, 39 percent of the kidu recipients lived in Thimphu, 15 percent in Paro and 10 percent in Chhukha.

Half of the kidu recipients were married, 32 percent was never married and divorcees made up the third-largest group with 11