Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mustapa Mohamed said the federal ministries, departments and agencies and state governments must assess the financial implications of the new poverty level and identify the target groups for their programmes.

The new national poverty line of RM2,208 monthly income for a household of 3.9 persons was announced by the Statistics Department last month.

“The poverty line varies according to region, state and strata, and based on the findings of the 2019 survey, the incidence of poverty in urban areas was 3.8% compared with 12.4% in rural areas,” he said.

He also said that bold, radical strategies and initiatives were needed for the Bumiputera empowerment agenda to bring about a quantum leap in the Bumiputera economic landscape.

“Bumiputera participation in high-impact strategic industries with high potential and value added will be stepped up,” he said.

“In general, the government’s main focus in Bumiputera empowerment initiatives will be translated through the detailed formulation of policies, strategies and initiatives in the preparation of the 12th Malaysia Plan 2021-2025 to be tabled early next year,” he said.