Dilma: explanation regarding rumors is inconclusive.

Danilo Macedo
Reporter from Agência Brasil

Brasilia – President Dilma Rousseff said today (18), in Fortaleza, that the Federal Police's explanation about the rumors of the end of the Bolsa Família Program is not conclusive and that nobody knows what really happened. The most important thing, according to Dilma, is that the actions of the Ministry of Social Development and Fight against Hunger continue to be increasingly improved for the success of the program. In May, rumors about the end of the program caused a rush to Caixa Econômica Federal branches in search of the benefit and more than 900 withdrawals were made in one weekend.

"The Federal Police's assessment is that the changes in the process led to a run on Caixa's banks. But nobody really knows, not even the Federal Police could detect the real cause. They couldn't, and they made that clear in their assessment. What the investigation suggests is that this could have contributed, it's one of the factors, but it's not a conclusive explanation," said the president, after an event in the capital of Ceará.

Dilma participated this afternoon in the graduation ceremony of approximately 3 students qualified by the National Program for Access to Technical Education and Employment (Pronatec) Brazil Without Poverty, which offers courses to people registered in the Single Registry for Social Programs of the Federal Government, especially beneficiaries of the Bolsa Família program.

During the event, the president emphasized that the Bolsa Família program will continue to be paid as long as there are people who need it. "This is the commitment of my government, it was the commitment of President Lula's government. Only those who don't know Bolsa Família are capable of criticizing it."

According to Dilma, the program serves a segment of the population that was previously excluded and that can no longer be ignored by any government. "We focus on the beneficiaries of Bolsa Família because this is the commitment of a government that has a responsibility to that part of the Brazilian population that for many years was excluded and that now has to be the focus of attention of any government that wants to be committed to the Brazilian people."

After the event, President Dilma Rousseff also said that she will approve the part she considers fair of the conversion bill into which Provisional Measure (MP) 610 was transformed, which deals with various aid actions for small rural producers affected by the drought in the Semi-Arid region. The MP, approved in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, received amendments that extend the benefits to rural producers outside the Semi-Arid region.

"We will approve the part that we accept as fair. It is the part that concerns the Semi-Arid Northeast. All other additions are not fair," said the president after participating in the graduation ceremony of about 3 students qualified by Pronatec, which offers courses to people registered in the Single Registry for Social Programs of the Federal Government, especially beneficiaries of Bolsa Família.

"The farmers in the Semi-Arid region, in fact, have no way to pay their debts. What we are facilitating is for them to access the resources now and recover. Part of the debt will be discounted and part transferred to the medium term to be paid," explained Dilma.

Editing: Nadia Franco