Speaking at a joint plenary session of the two Houses of Parliament, Akhannouch noted that this budget is in addition to the 10 billion dirhams allocated by the State annually for the generalization of the basic compulsory health insurance (AMO) to families in situations of poverty and precariousness, adding that all these allocations will represent an overall budget of 40 billion dirhams by 2026, covering the two aspects of the generalization of social protection (medical coverage and direct social assistance).

The offer of direct social assistance includes three essential measures relating to direct social assistance to targeted families with children, direct social assistance to targeted families without children or with children over the age of 21, especially those with dependent elderly people, as well as a birth bonus, he explained.

Concerning the first measure, it is a monthly allowance for any child under 21 years old, he said, noting that any child, from birth to the age of 5, will receive an allowance of MAD 200 per month as of December 30, 2023.

This amount will continue throughout 2025 before being increased to MAD 250 per month, then to MAD 300 as of 2026, the Head of Government pointed out, adding that families who have more than three children, regardless of the allowances paid to employees in the private sector, will receive monthly assistance of additional MAD 36 for the fourth, fifth and sixth children.

He also noted that children of school age will retain the same amount of allowance between the age of 6 and 21, while those with disabilities will receive an allowance of MAD 300 in 2024, an amount increased to MAD 400 in 2026.

With the aim of supporting children of widowed women, who previously benefited from a dedicated support program, Akhannouch said that the State will continue to pay MAD 350 per month to each child until the end of 2024 , then 375 MAD/month/child throughout 2025, before increasing it to 400 MAD/month/child as of 2026, emphasizing that the amount of this allowance will decrease in the event of interruption of schooling, the aim being to perpetuate the positive impact of the Tayssir program and to encourage the continuation of education.

Regarding the second measure, the Head of Government said that targeted families who do not have children or whose children are over 21 years old, especially those who have dependent elderly people, will receive a fixed bonus of MAD 500 per month as of end of December 2023, noting that in application of the High Royal Guidelines, the direct social assistance program sets up a social safety net which means that each family, whatever its composition, receives support of at least MAD 500 per month.

The amount of direct social assistance for each targeted family can total more than MAD 1000 per month, taking into account its composition, especially the number of its children.

In this regard, Akhannouch explained that a family with one child will directly receive MAD 500 per month starting at the end of December 2023, and a family with two children in school will receive MAD 500 per month starting at the end of this year, and MAD 600 per month starting in 2026, while "the value of the monthly assistance for the targeted widow will be MAD 500 if she has one child, and she will receive it starting at the end of this year, and if she has two children, she will receive MAD 700 in 2024 and MAD 800 starting in 2026, and if she has 3 children, she will receive MAD 1,050 in 2024 and MAD 1,200 in 2026."

Regarding the third measure related to the maternity grant, Akhannouch explained that it relates to a lump sum granted to each family on the occasion of the first and second births, the value of which is estimated at MAD 2,000 for the first child and MAD 1,000 for the second.