PENAMPANG: A total of 10,390 urban poor families in Sabah have been registered under the e-kasih programme as of April 3, this year.
Federal Territory and Urban Well-being Minister Dato Raja Nong Chik Dato Raja Zainal Abidin said that of the total, 327 families or 2.9 percent were registered under the Penampang District Council.
“They are families that have become the government’s, and in particular, the ministry’s priority to assist so that they can change their fate and live a better life,” he said during the launch of the Urban Well-being Visitation Programme held at Buhavan Square near here yesterday.
Raja Nong said that last year, his ministry had channeled a total of RM596,688 in the form of rent assistance to benefit 401 household heads in Sabah.
Additionally, RM1.5 miliion was channeled by the ministry for its Urban Poor Housing Programme for the establishment and repair of 36 houses, he said.
And to assist the urban poor in Penampang, last year, the ministry allocated RM890,400 to the Penampang District Council for the rent assistance programme which involved nine heads of household, the construction of two new houses and the establishment of the Terminal Sejahtera in Penampang.
He added that until March 31, this year, his ministry had already channeled RM241,056 to Sabah to assist 162 identified household heads under the house rental assistance programme.
During his visit here, Raja Nong also presented house repair assistance worth RM10,000 each to five recipients, business ware assistance worth RM1,000 to five recipients and food basket assistance worth RM50 and cash assistance of RM150 each to five identified households within the Penampang district.
Meanwhile, urban poverty is expected to drop further from 3.8 percent in 2009 to 2.0 percent by 2015 under the 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP).
Raja Nong said that his ministry also aimed to increase the average household income for urban households throughout the country from RM1,440 per month to RM2,300 during the same period.
“My ministry has planned various urban poverty eradication programmes, aimed at helping the poor and low income group within the urban areas to improve their living quality, irrespective of gender, race, political standing and religion,” he said.