KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor has urged eligible poverty aid recipients who have yet to get their state assistance to appeal to receive their share.
The Chief Minister said while various assistance schemes and programmes provided by the state government can be checked online, those who are eligible but have yet to get theirs, can appeal.
“You can also check with the respective district authorities,” he said after launching the Sentuhan Kasih Rakyat or Syukur programme in Tuaran to benefit 100,000 people on Wednesday (Feb 19).
Syukur is the newest aid programme for the hardcore poor and poor in Sabah, where those eligible, registered under the e-kasih list and whose applications have been approved, will get a monthly RM300 assistance for one year.
On this note, Hajiji said the state is planning for another assistance programme this year to ease the people’s burden amid the rising costs of living.
He said the programme would be announced once the state financial situation permits, and after all procedures have been followed.
On the Syukur programme, he said a total of 72,058 hardcore poor and poor heads of families registered under e-kasih as of Dec 31, 2024, have received this aid starting this month.
Hajiji said from this number, a total of 52,201 have received the money through their banks while the remaining 19,857 who do not possess bank accounts, will either get it in cash or by opening up new accounts which will be done in phases starting from March.
Phase two of this programme will be extended to May to benefit more people, he said.
He instructed local authorities, departments or agencies in charge of welfare aid to get in touch with the grassroots to help more eligible folks so that those who are left out from getting assistance will also be given attention.
The public can either look for their village chiefs or the MySMJ Profiler officers placed at all district offices in Sabah.
More information on this can be found at the PADANS system website at https://padans.sabah.gov.my/; Laman web http://sukur.sabah.gov.my/; YONO Superapp; and via short messaging service (SMS).
