The Family and Social Policies Ministry allocated TL 20 billion ($5.6 billion) for social aid as Turkey seeks to grant benefits to impoverished families.

Family and Social Policies Minister Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya said they determined the needs of 3 million families and were gradually extending aid in their efforts to eliminate poverty.

More than 2.6 million families now benefit from cash aid while 682,256 families received food aid. Needy citizens also receive aid in the form of at least 500 kilos of coal distributed every year to heat their houses.

The government also provides education funds for poor families, ranging from free textbooks, school lunches, transportation, allowances and dormitories. More than 2 million families benefited from education aid.

In a bid to provide more comfortable housing to poor families living in decrepit homes, the state provides rent allowance to 24,000 households.

In the first three months of this year, some 559,000 elderly citizens benefited from cash aid amounting to TL 425 million in total while 540,000 disabled citizens received TL 752 million in total.