Given the first repercussions from provincial politics that called for the resignation of Minister Federico Masso, of Social Developmentand the opening of an internal audit in that portfolio, requested by provincial legislators Joseph Macome (Freedom Advances) and Jose Cano (UCR), Jaldo’s succinct response was that “the one who has the exclusive power to appoint and remove ministers is the governor,” which is why he confirmed the official. “I would ask some legislators who asked for his resignation to dedicate themselves to legislating,” Jaldo added.
The governor maintained contact with the press at the Government House, accompanied by his first line of officials, including Masso, Dario Monteros (Minister of the Interior), Luis Medina Ruiz (Public health), Marcelo Nazur (Public Works and Services) and Eugenio Aguero Gamboa (Security); the state prosecutor, Gilda Pedicone de Vallsand the Secretary General of the Government, Federico Nazur.
In relation to the delivery of food to the beneficiaries, which until today is carried out through social organizations that put together bags with the merchandise after removing it from the warehouses with which the province works, such as Hacha de Piedra, the president announced changes from January 2025. “All intermediation in the delivery of social aid will be eliminated. The assistance will be direct from the government to the beneficiaries, through a personal card that we will deliver to each family qualified to receive the benefit,” he explained.
The card, added Jaldo, will be implemented through Banco Macro or the Popular Savings Bank – an autonomous financial entity of the provincial State – and will allow beneficiaries to withdraw the equivalent in pesos of the food modules. “This way we will reduce the possibility of irregularities to a minimum, since the resources will go directly to those who need them and can be received in any bank in the province,” he said.
The governor of Tucumán took the opportunity to separate the national government from the diversion of merchandise that is investigated. “It belongs to the Ministry of Social Development of the province and not of the Nation as some media maliciously said. It was purchased with provincial resources, it has nothing to do with the ministry at the national level,” he clarified.
Two hours later, the Ministry of Human Capital of the Nation, led by Sandra Pettovello and who already faced another scandal also over food, separated himself from the incident in Tucumán through a statement. “We release this ministry from all responsibility for what happened,” he published on the social network. “In fact, publicly known news does nothing more than validate and substantiate the public policy that the Ministry of Human Capital has been implementing: assisting those who need it most directly and without intermediaries, putting an end to the practices of those who negotiate with the hunger of the most vulnerable,” he said. And he ratified the policy of “avoiding intermediaries and guaranteeing that resources reach people’s pockets directly, without allowing the distribution of food on a discretionary basis.”
The investigation
As Ámbito reported, the bales of noodles, rice, grass, tomato puree and boxes of powdered milk, with the legend “Sale prohibited”, were found by chance by the Police last weekend. Last Sunday, due to an investigation into a case of gender violence in the Manantial Sur neighborhood, agents from the 15th Police Station raided the home of an individual, in search of evidence about the accused.
The surprise was that in the house they found the merchandise stored, on which the man reported for gender violence, Juan Alberto López Cansillierihe couldn’t give explanations. At this time he is detained for gender violence and for the opening of a case regarding food that should have been in an organization with a social purpose. According to what Minister Masso reported, it was his father who removed the merchandise from the Hacha de Piedra warehouse. What was found, according to Social Development, exceeds in volume what was recorded in the last delivery, which raises more doubts about the reason for the collection.
Among what was kidnapped, according to police sources, are two notebooks, at least, where there are notes of people’s names and businesses to which the merchandise would have been sold, a hypothesis that is based on the fact that next to the names there is an amount that could be the price of its improper marketing.
Before the opening of the case, Jaldo also announced that the Tucumán government will appear as a plaintiff in the Judiciary. “We will not sit idly waiting for justice to decide; we hope it will be as soon as possible. Those responsible must be determined, right down to the final consequences,” he stated.
At the close of the conference, Masso was asked about how the list of beneficiaries who will receive the cards next January will be prepared. The beneficiaries, according to an updated registry that the Ministry of Social Development will prepare in cross-data with the ANSES, will be those who do not have any benefits and those who, despite having the AUH and the Alimentar Card, do not reach the basket. basic food, he explained. “There are between 87,000 and 93,000 Tucumans that we help. We will work in November and December so that in January they can go shopping with the card, exclusively for buying food, not withdrawing money,” he said.
The details of the merchandise found:
- 66 bales of tomato puree (each bale contains 12 units for 520 grams each, making a total of 411 kg.)
- 41 bales of oil (each bale contains 15 units for 900 cc each, making a total of 553,500 cc – around 487 kg)
- 90 bales of rice (each bale contains 10 units of 1 kg each, making a total of 900 kg.)
- 118 bales of grass (each bale contains 10 units of 1 kg, making a total of 1,180 kg.)
- 63 bales of noodles (each bale contains 15 units of 500 grams, making a total of 472 kg.)
- 119 bales of 000 flour (each bale contains 10 units of 1 kg, making a total of 1,190 kg.)
- 101 bales of lentils (each bale contains 10 units of 400 grams, making a total of 404 kg)
- 79 bales of sugar (each bale contains 10 units of 1 kg, making a total of 790 kg)
- 3 bales of 0000 flour (each bale contains 10 units of 1 kg, making a total of 30 kg)
- 4 bales of milk powder (each box contains 10 units of 1 kg, making a total of 40 kg)
Source: Ambito
