KUALA LUMPUR: Since the introduction of the Cost of Living (COL) National Key Result Area (NKRA) in 2011, the government has spent over RM23.5 billion on various initiatives designed to help relieve the financial challenges faced by the people.
According to the National Transformation Programme (NTP) Annual Report 2016, the COL NKRA’s approach included targeted direct monetary assistance through programmes such as the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M), 1Malaysia Book Vouchers (BB1M) and 1Malaysia Special Early School Aid (BKAP1M).
The COL NKRA initiatives were also implemented by increasing availability and accessibility to public amenities such as Klinik 1Malaysia (K1M), Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia (KR1M), Kafe Rakyat 1Malaysia (KFR1M) and Kedai Kain Rakyat 1Malaysia (KK1M).
Unveiled on Tuesday, the report said that in 2016, 7.28 million people received BR1M between RM400 and RM1,050, amounting to a total disbursement of RM5.36 billion.
In an effort to expand access to basic goods, since 2012, BB1M had assisted 6.4 million tertiary students, including Form Six students, in the purchase of course textbooks through book vouchers of RM250 given to each student.
The report also stated that another 50 KR1M stores were being planned for 2018 and 2019, in line with the government’s aspiration of having at least one KR1M store in each parliamentary district.
In a bid to increase access to affordable healthcare, 356 K1M facilities have been set up across Malaysia, charging a nominal fee of RM1 per visit, while senior citizens are fee-exempted.
Since 2010, 26,744,887 visits had been made to K1M clinics and in 2016, 20 new K1M clinics out of the 33 targeted for the year had begun operations. — Bernama