KUALA LUMPUR: Poverty Line Income is not the only measure for aid distribution by the Social Welfare Department (JKM), says the Women, Family and Community Development Minister.
Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said other factors are considered, such as family dependents, chronic health problems, need for special care, psychosocial issues and more.
"This is because there are many other factors that are taken into account to ensure eligibility and necessary to access aid from the government.
"The welfare assistance provided through JKM is based on eligibility and need (means-tested)," she said during the oral question time in response to Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Muda-Muar), who asked whether the ministry planned to raise the household income ceiling for applicants seeking JKM assistance.
From January 2024, JKM began using the new Poverty Line Income (PGK 2022), which has the threshold value of RM1,198, she said.
The PGK 2022 is updated based on the Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU), Prime Minister's Department (JPM) and the Statistics Department of Malaysia (Dosm), who have surveyed with the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) and the Basic Amenities Survey (BA).
"Each case is handled by taking into account the real situation and a broader picture such as economic factors, mobility (OKU, bedridden patients) and so on; and not just looking at their income alone," she said.
She added that all audits and monitoring for aid distribution under JKM assistance.
The distribution of aid is constantly monitored and audited internally by the ministry itself, she added.
"We have a group that monitors and assesses those who may not need to receive the aid anymore," she said.
"This is part of our administrative system and there is no specific committee (jawatan kuasa), and we constantly monitor for new updates.
“For example, some recipients that upon our assessment no longer need aid, or there has been cases where the recipient have passed away and are still receiving aid," she said in response to a supplementary question from Kesavan Subramaniam (PH-Sungai Siput) who asked the the Ministry to set up a special committee to monitor leakages of aid.
