By Nasuha Badrul Huzaini
SHAH ALAM, Aug 2 — The Selangor government has put in place a number of initiatives in empowering people from low-income households to be able to be dependent and not rely on financial assistance.
Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said since 2018, the state administration has developed several measures instead of focusing on giving cash handouts.
“This includes Selangor Mega Job Fair, which is under the purview of state executive councillor for youth Mohd Khairuddin Othman, Selangor Freelance, Jom Kerja and training provided by the Selangor Hijrah Foundation.
“All of the initiatives are part of our efforts to empower the families as the saying goes ‘beri kail bukan ikan’ (Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime).
“This would ensure that the recipients could improve themselves in terms of knowledge and their skills,” he said when answering a supplementary question from Semenyih state assemblyman Zakaria Hanafi on the state government’s long-term plan in helping low-income households in the state.
However, the Menteri Besar said despite the various initiatives in place, the state government would still provide some cash assistance to those in need.
“The cash aid serves as a cushion for them and it is needed considering the rising cost of living.
“Among the people-centric programmes that were introduced include the Bantuan Kehidupan Sejahtera Selangor (Bingkas), which provides RM300 monthly to its recipients or RM3,600 annually,” he added.
Bingkas replaces the Kasih Ibu Smart Selangor (KISS) and KISS Ibu Tunggal (KISS IT) initiatives, which would benefit 30,000 families involving a total allocation of RM108 million.
