By Selangor Journal Team
SHAH ALAM, Nov 23 — The Selangor government will consider a proposal to reduce the value of the state’s Jom Shopping Perayaan voucher to RM150 so more people can benefit from the initiative.
State executive councillor for poverty eradication V. Papparaidu said the move would also ensure the amount aligns with the current shopping voucher value given to beneficiaries of the Skim Mesra programme.
Currently, the Jom Shopping voucher issued to low-income households in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Chinese New Year, and Deepavali stands at RM200.
“To be honest, I feel this is a very good suggestion, and I agree. Not only can we issue vouchers of the same value as the Skim Mesra initiative, but it can also benefit more people.
“However, I will first have to raise this proposal to the state executive council for approval,” he said during the State Legislative Assembly session today.
Papparaidu was responding to the suggestion by Pandamaran state assemblyman Leong Tuck Chee, who said reducing the voucher value by RM50 meant over 100,000 people could benefit from the initiative.
He added that for this year, the state government has allocated RM16.48 million to Jom Shopping Perayaan, benefitting 82,400 recipients.
Responding to Bandar Baru Klang assemblyman Dr Quah Perng Fei’s proposal to extend the initiative and include Christmas, Papparaidu said this would also be discussed at the state government level before making any decision.
For now, Selangor will maintain its decision to only issue the vouchers in conjunction with the three main festivals.
“If I may add, at present, Chinese Christians and Indian Christians can also receive the vouchers during Chinese New Year and Deepavali, respectively, if they are eligible,” he said.
