Welfare institutions are asking the government for help as they suffer from the economic downturn, representatives from the institutions said at a public hearing hosted by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Chieh-ju (陳節如) yesterday.
“Social welfare is the government’s responsibility and welfare organizations are there to help the government out,” Republic of China Association for Mentally Handicapped People chairman Wang Ping-che (王秉哲) said. “But now we’re also hit by the global financial crisis and a lot of us may have to close if the government doesn’t help us.”
According to regulations, a shelter for the mentally or physically challenged can receive NT$20,000 (US$606) per month for each person staying there.
The amount consists of the monthly payment from parents of the person in the shelter and subsidies from the Ministry of the Interior (MOI). The ratio is determined on a case-by-case basis.
Wang pointed out that the monthly average cost of caring for a mentally or physically challenged person was at least NT$30,000.
“Because of the economic downturn, most welfare organizations are facing declines in donations, while costs continue to rise,” Skill Training Center for the Mentally Handicapped director Lee Chung-hsin (李崇信) said. “We’ve also had a lot of cases in which parents can no longer afford to pay for their children’s stay in shelters.”
“In the past, some organizations could survive on interest from the money in their bank accounts,” Wang said. “But it’s no longer an option now as the interest rate has dropped to next to nothing.”
“If the Ministry of Economic Affairs can cut junior high and elementary school electricity bills by 50 percent, I don’t see why welfare groups sheltering the handicapped cannot get that discount,” Chen said.
MOI Social Affairs Department director Tseng Chung-ming (曾中明) said that the ministry would look into the groups’ demands.
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) yesterday said that private-sector refiners are willing to stop buying Russian naphtha should the EU ask them to, after a group of non-governmental organizations, including the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), criticized the nation’s continued business with the country. While Taiwan joined the US and its Western allies in putting broad sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, it did not explicitly ban imports of naphtha, a major hard-currency earner for Russia. While state-owned firms stopped importing Russian oil in 2023, there is no restriction on private companies to
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
RSS