KUCHING, April 1 — Nearly 5,000 recipients of welfare assistance, under various programmes, organised by the Social Welfare Department (JKM), have successfully come out of poverty last year, said Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.
She said the number is from 533,167 aid recipients involving an allocation of RM2.4 billion.
“Although they are not many in terms of the number, 4,921 people, at least they managed to get out of the group that received the aid. So we help them to be independent,” Nancy said after attending Program Kasih Ramadan, organised by The National Welfare Foundation (YKN), earlier today.
Earlier in Dewan Rakyat, the minister said about 1,500 aid recipients who participated in the 2 Years Exit Programme (2YEP), under JKM, have successfully exited from welfare assistance since the programme was held in 2016.
At the same time, Nancy said her ministry has channelled an additional allocation of RM10 million to RM2.41 billion for the purpose of welfare programmes this year, compared to RM2.4 billion last year.
“We have an allocation of RM2.4 billion for welfare alone last year but this year it was increased to RM2.41 (billion) because the number of welfare aid recipients has increased. The target group involving the asnaf group is the highest number of recipients,” she said.
Earlier, Nancy, who is also YKN chairman and MP for Santubong, distributed food baskets to 100 villagers comprising the asnaf group from Kampung Beradek, Kampung Semilang and Kampung Tiang Api.
— Bernama
