Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri (second right) presenting a basic necessities kit to a recipient after launching the implementation of the eBantuan system in Kuching. - ZULAZHAR SHEBLEE/The Star
KUCHING: The Social Welfare Department is developing a new online system to manage welfare assistance more efficiently, says Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.
The Women, Family and Community Development Minister said the Welfare Assistance Management System (SPBK) 2.0 would replace the existing eBantuan system by the end of 2026.
"The current system has been in use for over 15 years and is now facing technological constraints.
"SPBK 2.0 is a high-impact solution in line with the government's digital initiatives," she said when launching the implementation of eBantuan in Sarawak here on Friday (June 13).
The eBantuan system was introduced in 2007 but only expanded to Sarawak last year, as the state had its own welfare management system.
Nancy said the integration of the federal and state systems under eBantuan would improve efficiency and eliminate abuse.
"This is a very tight and efficient system, with no room for abuse," she said.
From January to May this year, 55,457 recipients in Sarawak received assistance amounting to RM123.78mil under eBantuan.
Nancy also said SPBK 2.0 would be fully online, utilising a secure digital platform with the latest technologies including business intelligence, automatic notifications and cloud computing.
It will also be integrated with national systems such as the Central Database Hub (Padu) and National Poverty Data Bank System (eKasih) to speed up welfare verification and distribution based on accurate data.
"This improvement aligns with the whole-of-government approach to deliver integrated, fast and responsive services to the people," Nancy said.
