200,000 benefit from 1Azam scheme

ALMOST 200,000 Malaysians from the lower income group have benefited from the 1Azam programme since 2011.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Razali Ibrahim told Dewan Rakyat yesterday that the project had helped 168,000 individuals from the lower income group out of poverty via various initiatives, including education, entrepreneurship, agriculture activities and services.

“The country’s poverty rate continued to decrease to 1.7% in 2012 compared to more than 60% about 60 years ago with zero hardcore poor.

“The positive improvement on eradicating poverty is part of the Government’s transformation programme,” he told Datuk Shamsul Anuar Hamzah (BN – Lenggong) during Question Time.