SINGAPORE: An average of 28 grassroots leaders per year, or less than 0.1 per cent of the total number, have utilised the Ministry of National Development’s Grassroots Organisation (GRO) Scheme over the last ten years, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Chan Chun Sing in Parliament on Monday (Nov 7).
Under the GRO scheme, grassroots leaders with three years of continuous and active service in their GROs can apply for HDB BTO flats and Executive Condominiums in constituencies within the Town Council boundaries which they serve, explained Mr Chan.
He was responding to questions by Workers’ Party MP Png Eng Huat, who also wanted to know if grassroots leaders are prioritised in the balloting process, and if they are allowed to utilise the benefit more than once.
“Number one, the priority balloting goes with all other priority schemes, and they all go into the computer, and the computer would churn out the results. Number two, whether they can buy more than once, whether they take up more than one loan, they adhere to all existing schemes available to all Singaporeans,” said Mr Chan.
According to a post on Gov.sg dated Feb 2015, the rationale for the GRO scheme is “to tap on experienced grassroots leaders to start new GROs and activities in new estates”.
