PUTRAJAY: The government has revised the criteria for the eligibility of the first phase of this year’s Suri Incentive Scheme (i-Suri), said Women, Family and Community Development Ministry.
They are the wives of the head of the household (KIR); female KIR who are single mothers, widows or unmarried; aged between 18 and 59 in 2019 and Malaysian citizens only.
Also eligible are those who are registered and listed in the eKasih system operated by the Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) of the Prime Minister’s Department (JPM) until Nov 30, 2019; poor/ hardcore poor status in eKasih.
For the implementation of the first phase in 2019, the target group of people who benefited from the scheme were the housewives of KIR; KIR among single mothers, widows and unmarried (single) women who were registered in the eKasih system until Nov 30, 2018.
“The i-Suri programme is constantly being improved from time to time based on the inputs and information received from all parties,” the ministry said in a statement here yesterday.
Beginning January 2020, the ministry said the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contribution could be made via Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) cash/debit card through any BSN agent nationwide .
The government also extended the benefits of i-Suri through social security protection under the Social Security Organisation (Socso) with an allocation of RM20 million.
According to the ministry, the total number of members registered since the implementation of the programme from Aug 15, 2018 to Dec 15 2019 was 140,398 and 120,010 or 85.48 per cent of them had contributed to the programme.
The target group that meets the eligibility criteria will be given an incentive of RM40 per month for each voluntary contribution of a minimum of RM5 per month into the EPF account.
A total of RM7.93 million had been allocated for the government incentive from January to June 2019. — Bernama