By Norrasyidah Arshad
SHAH ALAM, Jan 22 – Menteri Besar Selangor (Incorporated), or MBI, is extending a helping hand to 16,800 students from low-income families in the state by providing essential school supplies for the upcoming academic year.
MBI corporate social responsibility head Ahmad Azri Zainal Nor said distribution of the aid under the state’s Back to School Assistance programme will commence in the upcoming semester break, with an allocation of almost RM1.7 million.
He said under the corporate social responsibility initiative, RM100 has been set aside each for 300 students from every state constituency. It covers expenses for items like school uniforms and other supplies.
“We will hand over this contribution to representatives of each state constituency in early February. We want to distribute the aid as soon as possible to facilitate the recipients,” he said when contacted.
Last year, the state subsidiary allocated over RM10 million to bolster the education sector, with the funds being used for initiatives like the Selangor People’s Tutoring Programme, school assistance, and infrastructure upgrades.
Previously, Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari had announced that MBI has disbursed RM25.5 million in aid to education agencies between 2021 and last year, underlining its commitment to supporting education in Selangor.
Meanwhile, Azri said the state government has received some 1,000 applications for food baskets from low-income families, in conjunction with the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration.
He said the figure is expected to increase as the festive day nears, and that his team is prepared to ensure smooth distribution of the aid.
“So far, we’ve received about 1,000 applications from assemblymen, service centers and residents’ representatives. We’ve prepared many food baskets as we anticipate an increase in demand.
“Each recipient will receive dry food items worth RM100. This assistance will somewhat alleviate their burden in preparing for the festive season,” he said.
According to Azri, MBI prepares 5,000 food baskets containing dry ingredients like flour and sugar for every non-Muslim festival celebration, to assist the less privileged.
“We want all citizens, regardless of ethnicity and religion, to be able to celebrate their respective festivals,” he said, adding that 500 baskets were distributed during the recent Pongal celebration.
Previously, Azri had said MBI has allocated RM1 million to ensure the success of the food basket programme throughout the year.
