Aid under Rahmah initiative for hardcore poor to be implemented

KUALA LUMPUR: The Rahmah initiative will cover five main areas and is being implemented in stages starting from early this month, Parliament was told.

Deputy Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Fuziah Salleh said the Rahmah initiative – aimed at helping those in need, especially in getting basic essentials – includes a food basket programme that provides basic necessities valued at RM100.

“It contains essential items such as rice, flour, cooking oil, sugar and eggs, which will be distributed by our strategic partners to the hardcore poor continually each month,” she said in response to a question from Datuk Rosol Wahid during Question Time.

The Hulu Terengganu MP of Perikatan Nasional had asked the ministry to reveal its short, mid and long-term plans to tackle cost of living issues.

Fuziah said another initiative is the Rahmah Sale programme, which will involve major supermarkets across the country promoting sales throughout this year.

“For this purpose, the ministry will issue a cheap sale notice permit for the initiative of up to four months compared to the current one month,” she said.

Then there is the Rahmah Package programme, which will also involve hypermarkets, that offers various basic consumer goods in the form of packages.

“The package of essential items, which is valued at RM70, will be sold to consumers at RM50,” she explained.

The other two initiatives are Kafe Rahmah and Menu Rahmah, she added.

Kafe Rahmah is to provide affordable food for public university students as well as free meals for the hardcore poor.

On Jan 31, the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry launched Menu Rahmah – a balanced meal of rice, fish or chicken, and vegetables for RM5 – which is available at some 15,000 food outlets nationwide.

Fuziah also assured the public that the unity government will prioritise the group hardest hit by the cost of living.

“A mechanism to distribute subsidies that is more controlled using the latest technology and ICT (information and communications technology) will be used to ensure leakages are reduced.