Casablanca- The asd.ma platform, initiated by the government at the start of December, has witnessed a remarkable response, with over one million households already registering online to avail themselves of direct social assistance. Fouzi Lekjaa, the Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Economy and Finance, responsible for the budget, shared this significant milestone during a parliamentary session.

Since its launch, the digital platform has surpassed expectations, aligning with the Royal Directives to implement the direct social assistance program before the close of 2023. With registration opening on December 2nd, the electronic portal “www.asd.ma” has provided a streamlined avenue for eligible individuals to enroll and benefit from this government initiative.Through this portal, applicants can submit their requests for direct social assistance after completing registration in both the National Population Register (RNP) and the Unified Social Register (RSU).

Following the processing of applications, households receive a response within a maximum of 30 days. Upon meeting all conditions, aid will be disbursed monthly, starting from the end of December 2023, in accordance with Law 58.23 pertaining to the direct social assistance system.Designed to assist households in need, as well as children of school age, children with disabilities, newborns, and families in precarious situations without school-age children, the program ensures a minimum aid amount of 500 dirhams($ 51.5) per family. This support can exceed 1,000 dirhams monthly (about $103), depending on the family’s composition, particularly the number of children.

Regarding the financial aspects of the social protection project, Minister Fouzi Lekjaa emphasized the importance of ensuring sustainable funding through innovative financial engineering. He highlighted the need to address challenges related to health insurance plan balances and expenditure control within this framework.

Acknowledging the evolving expenses of various schemes relative to their resources, Minister Lekjaa underscored the necessity of developing an integrated model to reconcile accessibility to quality services with the financial sustainability of these programs. Collaborating with relevant stakeholders, the government is exploring measures to control expenditure effectively while maintaining service quality. Furthermore, preventive health policies to mitigate disease incidence rates and pharmaceutical policies to regulate medicine expenditure are being prioritized. Minister Lekjaa emphasized the significance of enhancing drug accessibility and safeguarding the national pharmaceutical industry.

In light of the King’s vision, the minister expressed pride in the concrete realization of universal basic health insurance and direct social assistance, emphasizing their importance for citizens. He detailed the financial requirements of the social protection project, which necessitate annual financing of approximately 35 billion dirhams in 2024 (approximately$ 3.6billion), escalating to 40 billion dirhams in 2026 (about $4.12 million.

The implementation of this project relies on the Unified Social Register (RSU) for precise targeting of eligible categories. Minister Lekjaa concluded by highlighting the comprehensive survey conducted for all social programs, which mobilized nearly 15 billion dirhams ( approximately $1.54 billion) to consolidate social assistance initiatives.