Menteri besar Amirudin Shari said this is based on the fact that only 245 families in the state were still classified as extremely poor, compared with 861 families two months ago.
“With the several initiatives implemented, including the provision of RM300 in monthly aid to the affected groups through Bantuan Kehidupan Sejahtera Selangor (Bingkas), we believe we can eliminate the remaining cases of hardcore poverty by July.
“Based on our review, some of these families are only RM17 short of the monthly income required to move out of extreme poverty. They are part of the group we will focus on and assist,” he told reporters after launching the state’s PLATS Biaya scheme.
Amirudin said Sepang had become the first of Selangor’s nine districts to record zero hardcore poverty.
On May 1, Amirudin said the state government aimed to eliminate hardcore poverty by July, and had included families as recipients of the Bingkas programme, making them eligible for RM300 in monthly aid or RM3,600 annually.
Meanwhile, Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Aminuddin Harun made a similar pledge, adding that agencies such as the state development office, the social welfare department and Baitulmal had come together with several companies to provide employment opportunities.
“We will uplift the remaining 77 heads of households from the hardcore poverty category.
“This year, we are also running drive-thru recycling centre in community areas, a recycling programme for items including cooking oil, which will help increase their income to some extent,” he said.
Regarding the PLATS Biaya scheme, Amirudin said it was a special financing scheme to help traders in the U-PLATS entrepreneurship training programme expand their businesses.
He said the first phase of the initiative, implemented by Yayasan Hijrah Selangor in collaboration with Selangor Menteri Besar Incorporated, offers financing of RM3,000 to 120 of the 362 entrepreneurs in the U-PLATS programme.
“PLATS Biaya is a subsidised loan scheme where borrowers only need to repay the principal amount, with a financing period of 12 months. This can boost the business of U-PLATS participants in the future,” he said.
PLATS, or Platform Selangor, is a promotional platform and digital directory developed in 2020 to boost the economy of small traders in Selangor, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.
As of May 31, it has registered 30,781 traders.