CULTURE and Community Development Minister Michelle Benjamin says grants being given to community and cultural groups must be used for the purposes for which they are intended.

She made this comment during a grant distribution ceremony for recipients of her ministry's CARE grant and the National Days and Festivals Fund at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA), San Fernando on July 30.

The ceremony saw the distribution of $898,000 in grants to 22 recipients in the ministry's CARE scheme and $2.5 million worth in grants to 19 recipients in the National Days and Festivals Fund initiative. In total, $3,398,000 worth in grants were given to 41 recipients.