From January to March they spend 38,383 million pesos more than what is approved in Welfare


The Ministry of Welfare, which is in charge of implementing the priority programs of the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador in this six-year term, recorded in the first quarter of the year an expense 40.5% higher than what was approved for the period, according to the latest report from the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP).

From January to March this dependency —formerly called the Social Development Secretariat (Sedesol)— spent 133,211 million pesos, which represented a growth of 46.9% compared to the same period of the previous year.

This meant that the dependency, headed by Adriana Montiel Reyes, spent more than what was planned for the period in accordance with what was approved by Congress. In total, Welfare spent 38,383 million pesos more, which made it the ministry that spent the most with respect to its budget in the first three months of the year.

The increase in spending, as well as the greater resources used than programmed, is due to the fact that more money was allocated to two of the priority programs of the López Obrador government: the Pension for the Well-being of Older Adults and the Pension for Well-being of Persons with Permanent Disabilities.

Election times

México Evalúa pointed out that the greatest resources for the Welfare Secretariat are given in a context prior to the elections that will be held in different entities of the country next June.

“There is something that the Government does not seem willing to sacrifice in these difficult times: its political interests (…) It is clear that the government can do without everything, except to deliver generous subsidies prior to an election,” he previously stated before the increase in spending at the Ministry of Welfare.

In this sense, Alejandra Macías, general director of the Center for Economic and Budgetary Research (CIEP), pointed out that the priority of this government has been the elderly; however, this may have consequences for public finances.

The problem is that resources are being taken away from other places to finance that pension, and that has implications for the following generations,” he asserted.

In March, the payments for May and June had to be advanced to the beneficiaries of the Welfare Pensions due to the electoral ban due to the Revocation of the Mandate; meanwhile, due to the elections in June, the payment of the pension will be delayed until July, and the payments corresponding to July and August will be made.

For this year, the Chamber of Deputies approved a budget of 299.315 million pesos for the Ministry of Welfare. With the data as of March, the agency would have already spent 44.5% of its approved spending.

With pension, 10.4 million

According to the 1st Quarterly Report of 2022 of the Ministry of Welfare, at the end of March, 10.4 million people were beneficiaries of the Pension for the well-being of Older Adults.

In the breakdown of the information, it was observed that Mexico City (CDMX), the State of Mexico and Veracruz were the entities that concentrated 30.7% of the support of this program, while Baja California Sur was the entity with the fewest beneficiaries, with 43,865 persons.

In the case of the Pension for the Welfare of People with Permanent Disabilities, the secretariat reported that, at the end of the first quarter of the year, 927,790 people have benefited, where again the CDMX, the State of Mexico and Veracruz are the most favored entities.

Eight out of 10 pesos are concentrated in the elderly

Of the different priority programs implemented by the Welfare Secretariat, the Pension for the Welfare of Older Adults is the one that concentrates the largest amount of resources, to grant bimonthly pensions of 3,850 pesos.

The data projected in the Pre General Criteria for Economic Policy 2023 stated that this 2022, 238,014 million pesos will be allocated to this program, a figure that will increase to 303,700 million in 2023.

It is followed by Sembrando Vida, which has a budget of 29,903 million pesos this year.

The programs with fewer resources are the Support for Specialized Shelters for Women Victims of Gender Violence, their daughters and sons, with 420 million pesos, and the Services for Groups with Special Needs, with 304 million.

The programs with fewer resources are the Support for Specialized Shelters for Women Victims of Gender Violence, their daughters and sons, with 420 million pesos, and the Services for Groups with Special Needs, with 304 million.

[email protected]



Leave a Comment