By Norrasyidah Arshad
SHAH ALAM, Oct 29 — Approximately 900 out of 1,024 hardcore poor families in the state have successfully moved out of that category from July to the middle of this month, said state executive councillor of human resources and poverty eradication V. Papparaidu.
He said this is the result of various approaches implemented by the administration, including the Bantuan Kehidupan Sejahtera Selangor (Bingkas) initiative, alongside contributions from the Social Welfare Department and the Selangor Zakat Board.
“As of July, 1,024 families were identified as falling into the hardcore poor category over the past four months. Now, we have managed to reduce that number to 124 families, with 900 having been removed from that category.
“Hardcore poverty must be eradicated, and we need cooperation from various parties to help lift them out of this group. The administration will continue working to address this matter,” he told the press at the Jobcare Istimewa 2024 event yesterday.
Papparaidu added that hardcore poverty cannot be entirely eradicated, given that it involves various factors, including the death of the head of the household or job loss.
“The state’s target of ending hardcore poverty in July was achieved, but it cannot remain at zero. There is continuity due to various factors that contribute to falling into hardcore poverty, like bereavement or redundancy,” he said.
In July, Selangor reached its target of eradicating hardcore poverty thanks to collaboration among various parties and relevant agencies.
Previously, the Federal government had set an original target in the 12th Malaysia Plan (MP12) to eradicate hardcore poverty by 2025, which has since been accelerated to this year.
During the tabling of Budget 2024 last year, it allocated RM500 million to eradicate poverty through the People’s Income Initiative.
Simultaneously, the Unity Government also allocated RM1.5 billion in the 12MP Mid-Term Review to activate programmes and projects that can generate income for the target groups.
