GOVT ASSISTANCE: Fatimah (second right) greets a recipient as (from right) Noriah, Haliza and Najib look on.
BINTULU: Community leaders in the state were urged to play a role in identifying needy groups entitled for government assistance.
Welfare, Women and Family Development Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah said each village should keep their own profile on families.
“This profile gives complete data on residents in the village,” she said, adding that the database would make it easier for government agencies to distribute assistance to the needy.
She was speaking at a ‘Sejambak Kasih 2013’ programme at Al-Amin Mosque in Kampung Kuala Tatau near here yesterday.
Apart from that, officers from the Social Welfare Department (JKM) could be invited to events organised in villages which called for satellite offices to be set up.
According to Fatimah, this satellite office will function like a mobile office, giving similar services like distributing forms and getting the less fortunate groups to be registered with the system.
“However there are cases where people get the forms but 10 per cent of them don’t hand in the completed forms,” she said.
She suggested that JKM officers in the satellite offices find an alternative where people can conveniently get the forms, fill them out, send them and get them endorsed and approved on the spot.
Mobile photocopy machines are needed in rural and remote parts of the state.
“We are giving our best by going to the ground to expedite the approval process and endorsement,” said Fatimah.
She urged people categorised under the less fortunate group to register with e-kasih to be entitled for the 1 Azam programme.
Some 23 government agencies coordinated to implement the programme from 16 agencies the previous year.
“This year we are targeting to assist 7,500 people in our target group with an estimated RM111 million allocation,” Fatimah said.
She hopes the implementing agencies will seek out those who need government aid.
For June this year, Sibu received from JKM the highest monthly assistance of RM2,225,980 for 9,246 cases.
This was followed by Samarahan (7,381 cases receiving RM1,850,910); Kuching (7,057 cases, RM1,559,365); Betong (5,691 cases, RM1,331,375); Limbang (4,052 cases, RM1,081,410); Miri (3,928 cases, RM1,060,800); Sri Aman (3,916 cases, RM963,990); Bintulu (3,708 cases, RM861,870); Kapit (3,424 cases, RM841,380); Sarikei (3,138 cases, RM682,130) and Mukah (2,523 cases, RM553,750).
Total monthly assistance for all divisions in Sarawak for June this year is RM13,012,960.
Under the programme, a total of 175 recipients each received RM50 duit Raya and a hamper from JKM yesterday.
Also present were JKM state director Noriah Ahmad, JKM Bintulu assistant director Awgku Mohd Najib Pengiran Mohammad, Bintulu MP’s political secretary Zaiedy Nor Abunasir and Kpg Hj Ismail Kuala Tatau new chief Haliza Mudin.