Having a formal contract does not exclude from Bolsa Familia, says Minister Wellington Dias

The Minister of Social Development, Wellington Dias, said on Tuesday (15) that formalization in the labor market is not, by itself, reason to exclude beneficiaries of Bolsa Familia. In an interview with the program Good morning, ministerfrom Canalgov, he defended the changes implemented by the government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) in the Income Transfer Program.

“Signing the work card is no reason to cancel the benefit. The goal is to overcome poverty, and not penalize those seeking a formal job,” he said.

Currently, the income distribution program serves about 7 million families, of which 34% have received the benefit for over a decade.

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For the minister, the scenario was once more critical. “When we arrived in the government, there were approximately 14 million people who spent practically lifelong in Bolsa Familia. From 2023 to 2024, about 5.3 million families – around 20 million people – surpassed the situation of poverty and left the program,” he said.

According to Dias, one of the main changes in the program is to ensure that those that temporarily improve income remain with the benefit for a period. “Now, those who enter the Single Registry only come up. If you lose your income, it returns automatically,” he explained.

The minister also countered criticism that the beneficiaries “do not want to work”. “What they want is a decent job, with proper income. In January and February, another 374,000 people started working with a formal contract. Many occupy good jobs. About 10% of the economically active population of Bolsa Familia has a higher level or is attending higher education,” he said.

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Dias also stated that the government seeks to offer a “security mattress” that allows beneficiaries to focus on qualifying and searching for a job. “If someone in the middle class wants to grow up, imagine who is in Bolsa Familia. We want an increasing middle class in Brazil,” he concluded.