The financial assistance provided by the government to low-income people to help them pay the recently raised energy bills will be available by the end of March or the start of April the latest, Minister of Social Protection Valentina Buliga told a news conference on Saturday, Info-Prim Neo reports. The 130 lei/month payments will be provided to underprivileged families, low-income public sector employees, pensioners and other receivers of welfare money, a total of 220,000 persons. The payments will cover the periods from January 1 to March 31 and from November 1 to December 31, 2010. Valentina Buliga said the beneficiaries won’t have to go anymore to the local social assistance offices for the money, as they will be automatically included in recipient lists by the Ministry based on its electronic database. However, public sector employees will still need to submit an application to the local assistance offices and demonstrate their low incomes. The payments will be dispensed each month by the National Social Insurance Corporation through the selected banks.