KUALA TERENGGANU: The Terengganu government has launched the Portal Jodoh Darul Iman (PJDI), an online platform aimed at expediting the matchmaking process among young men and women in the state.
State welfare, women's development, family and national unity committee chairman Maliaman Kassim said PJDI aimed to boost the marriage rate among Terengganu residents and increase the birth rate in the state, as well as delay the process of Terengganu becoming an ageing state.
"It (the portal) encourages our young people to get married legally, and when they get married and have children, it helps delay the ageing process of a state or country.
"For this initial phase, we are targeting 500 participants this year. It is only open to unmarried individuals and to single mothers and fathers who wish to find a partner," he told reporters after the launch of PJDI on Wednesday (Aug 6).
The PJDI was launched by Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar at Wisma Darul Iman here.
Maliaman said for now, the portal, which is accessible now is only open to Muslim residents of Terengganu, and improvements, including the portal interface and candidate criteria, will be enhanced over time.
To prevent fraud or misuse of the portal, he said various requirements and identity details, including identity card numbers, must be provided by individuals seeking a match through the portal.
"This means if a participant falsifies their identity, we will detect it and immediately remove them from participation. The process will be handled by the Family Development Foundation, and we will verify the personal data submitted," he said.
He added that participants will state their preferred criteria for a spouse and also provide details about themselves, before the portal's secretariat matches suitable husband or wife candidates accordingly.
He said the first meeting between the pair will be accompanied by the secretariat, including a marriage counsellor, before further steps such as engagement and marriage are handled by the respective families. - Bernama
