Gas Aid – find out who can benefit

The payment of the gas aid is scheduled to start this Friday (10). The Joint Budget Commission of the Chamber of Deputies approved on Tuesday (7) the project that will provide credit worth R$ 300 million for the Ministry of Citizenship to pay the new benefit. The program, approved by Jair Bolsonaro (without a party), will last for five years.

Amid rising inflation in the country, the project provides for aid equivalent to 50% of the average price of a 13kg cylinder for the purchase of cooking gas for low-income families. In October of this year, data from the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), indicated that the cylinder cost around R $135.00 in some regions of the country.

The aid is a palliative way of dealing with the growing rates of food insecurity in the country, aggravated by the economic crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a survey by the Brazilian Research Network on Food and Nutritional Sovereignty and Security (Rede Pessan), at least 19 million Brazilians are starving and around 116 million people are in a situation of food insecurity.

Source: Image from (Google)

What is the value established for the gas allowance?

The value of the aid was set at R$52.00. Taking into account that the project provides for an aid of 50% of the national average value of the 13kg gas cylinder, which currently costs around R$102.56.

According to the decree, payments made by Caixa Econômica Federal (CEF) or institutions linked to it, will always be made every two months. The first now in December and the next in February next year.

Also according to the decree, the Ministry of Citizenship was responsible for establishing the entire payment schedule, the rules for withdrawing the benefit and the possible beneficiaries.

Who is entitled to receive the gas allowance?

This is the first question that comes to the minds of Brazilians when new aid is released by the government. “Who can receive?” and “How to receive?” For this reason, we separate the criteria, based on the rules laid down by the federal government, to be a beneficiary of the gas voucher. The aid will cover:

• Families who have a per capita family income less than or equal to R $550.00 (half a minimum wage) and are enrolled in the Single Registry (CadÚnico) aimed at government Social Programs. It is worth remembering that, within the monthly family income, no benefit from the Brazil Aid will be counted. Other government benefits do not prevent the acquisition of the gas voucher.

Learn more about CadÚnico.

• Families that have members who, necessarily, live in the same residence and who are favored with the benefit of continuous provision, the BPC. This benefit grants a monthly minimum wage to people with some type of disability.
• Families who live with elderly people over 65 who are beneficiaries of the BPC, that is, elderly people who do not have the means to provide for themselves and their families.
• Families with women victims of domestic violence who are under protective measures will also have priority in payment, as long as they fit any of the above criteria.

In December alone, the gas aid will benefit 5.53 million people. According to the Ministry of Citizenship, new people will be added month by month. By 2023, all Auxilio Brasil beneficiaries will also receive the gas allowance.

It is worth remembering that the government will use the registration of families that are already beneficiaries of other programs to receive the gas voucher. Therefore, to receive the benefit, there will be no need to open any registration.

The information used will be that contained in the CadÚnico. Therefore, those who receive other benefits such as the Auxílio Brasil, for example, can receive the gas voucher.

Find out how to register

To receive the gas allowance, it is not enough just to have a per capita income less than or equal to R$ 550.00. The beneficiary must be registered in the Cadastro Único. CadÚnico is a way for the Federal Government to monitor the situation of low-income families. With the Cadastro Único you can become a beneficiary of various social programs. With that in mind, we have selected for you a step-by-step guide on how to register.

Registration can only be done in person, so there is no way to make appointments over the internet. To find out where the Single Registry is made, you must go to a Social Assistance Reference Center (CRAS) or seek the City Hall of your city. It is worth remembering that most city halls ask that registration be scheduled. So get ahead!

In order to enroll, it is necessary to go through an interview with the Responsible for the Family Unit (RF). This person must be over 16 years of age and must appear at the place of the interview with the CPF or Voter Registration Card.

It is worth remembering that the person responsible for the Family Unit must update the registration every two years or in special cases, that is, if there is any change in the family structure, such as: someone in the family is born or dies; the family changes address or city; a person in the family raises or lowers their salary or if the children and teenagers in the family change schools.

Despite the appearance, the gas aid is not a new program

Despite the fact that gas aid is often mentioned as a new government program, it already existed even before the country returned to the hunger map or the crisis provided by Covid-19.

The benefit already existed previously as part of the federal government's income distribution program implemented in 2001. The benefit sought to serve those who were part of the Social Protection Network

The aid had the value of R$ 15.00 and was administered by the Ministry of Mines and Energy and was also distributed every two months. In 2003, the social benefit became part of the Bolsa Família income distribution program.