Decree No. 39.960 regulating Law No. 12.502 of 2025 on the Maranhão Free from Hunger Programme.

This Decree regulates the Maranhão Free from Hunger Programme, established by Law No. 12.502 of 2025. Its principal objective is to reduce poverty and food insecurity among extremely poor families in Maranhão by providing direct food assistance to households that receive Bolsa Família benefits but still remain below the poverty threshold of R$218 per capita per month. The Programme combines monthly financial support with measures aimed at guaranteeing the minimum standard of living, improving access to essential services, promoting food and nutritional security, and fostering social inclusion, employability, productive inclusion, and financial autonomy. The Decree establishes eligibility criteria, benefit levels, registration procedures, and mechanisms to ensure that assistance reaches vulnerable families efficiently and transparently. Beyond income support, the Decree seeks to break cycles of poverty through a system of social, educational, and health-related conditionalities. Beneficiary families must comply with requirements related to healthcare, vaccination, prenatal care, and school attendance, while also participating in training and socio-productive inclusion activities designed to strengthen employability and entrepreneurship. The Decree establishes a decentralized implementation framework involving state and municipal authorities, creates monitoring, auditing, and governance mechanisms, and provides transparency and accountability measures to prevent fraud and ensure proper use of public resources. It also prioritizes vulnerable groups, including quilombola and Indigenous families, waste pickers, homeless persons, and households facing severe food insecurity or human rights violations when budgetary constraints limit new admissions.