MELAKA, Feb 1 — The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry intends to alleviate hardcore poverty from 44,643 households.
Its minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said the number included 952 hardcore poor households in Melaka, based on the e-Kasih data provided by the Implementation and Coordination Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department.
“Through efforts under the Key National Result Area (NKRA) to uplift the standard of living of the low-income group, the ministry was tasked with eradicating hardcore poverty by the end of 2010,” she said after the ministry’s briefing and her meeting with Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam at Seri Negeri, here, today.
A hardcore poor household is defined as one with a monthly income of less than RM440, a poor household as one with monthly income of less than RM750, and low-income household as that earning less than RM2,000 monthly.
These figures are based on the national average and the current cost of living.
Shahrizat said the ministry’s approach in taking households out of hardcore poverty was through productive welfare programmes to ensure the family members were given job or skills-acquiring opportunities.
She said as the lead minister to raise the standard of living of the low-income group, she hoped the poverty-eradication programmes would be a success.
“We will streamline assistance for the poor with the other agencies, besides sharing information with the state governments in eradicating poverty.”
She said there were 18,000 recipients of monthly aid involving RM45 million in Melaka from the Social Welfare Department yearly, out of 334,421 recipients nationwide with the cost amounting to RM734 million.
“The ministry also aims to reduce bureaucracy to enable the recipients to receive their monthly welfare aid on the first day of each month,” she said. — Bernama
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