Perak Sejahtera initiative helps the poor generate income, climb out of poverty

IPOH - The Perak Sejahtera card initiative, which was first implemented four years ago, has allowed the recipients especially those from the B40 group to climb out of extreme poverty, says State Women and Community Development Secretariat director Jamilah Zakaria.

She said this year the state government has allocated RM25.2 million to benefit 20,000 recipients of the food assistance card worth RM90 per month and the health card valued at RM150 per year.

She said most Perak Sejahtera card recipients are single mothers who sell kuih for a living, adding the aid allows them to buy essential items for their family and also basic ingredients needed to make kuih such as flour, eggs and sugar.

She said this after handing over the Perak Sejahtera assistance to 22 recipients at the Kampung Seri Kinta neighbourhood centre here, yesterday.

According to Jamilah, following careful studies and close monitoring, the beneficiaries will be removed from the list when they managed to escape the poverty line.

In Dec last year, Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad announced an increase in the allocation in the state budget for the implementation of the Perak Sejahtera card programme, from RM22.8 million last year to RM25.2 million this year.

He said the value of the food card has been increased from RM80 to RM90 per month while the value of the health care remains at RM150 per year.

A kuih seller and single mother of three, Hamidah Yazit, 48, expressed her gratitude for being selected to receive the Perak Sejahtera card as the assistance will ease her financial burden and help her buy medicine to treat her asthma.

Another recipient Abu Bakar Mat Hassan, 60 said with the card he could buy essential items such as rice, cooking oil and flour for his family as his income as a small tapioca seller is unstable.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the country needs to end hardcore poverty this year and in line with the effort to empower the poor to increase their income potential, the government is set to implement the People's Income Initiative (IPR) with an allocation of RM750 million under the Ministry of Economy.

It was reported that the number of registered poor heads of households (KIR) has decreased from 124,744 to 118,217 people between Dec 15 last year and May 15 this year, while according to eKasih data, the number of registered poor KIR has also decreased from 304,911 to 299,080 within the same period. - BERNAMA