Assistant minister to the chief minister Abidin Madingkir said according to the eKasih database, the number of household heads categorised as hardcore poor had decreased to 1,464 as of Feb 28, compared with 14,553 recorded on Feb 29 last year.

He said the state would continue to monitor efforts to eradicate hardcore poverty in Sabah based on the poverty line income threshold of RM1,218, taking into account the average household size of 4.3 people with a per capita income of RM288.

“This data is dynamic, with status changes influenced by various factors, including changes in the number of household members, income, assistance received or terminated, as well as changes in information such as deaths or relocation to another state.

“The Sabah government commenced the provision of its Sentuhan Kasih Rakyat (Syukur) assistance on Feb 17, 2025. This measure is expected to continue contributing to the reduction in the number of poor and hardcore poor in the eKasih system,” he said.

He was responding to an oral question from Jannie Lasimbang (PH-Kapayan) who asked for the number of recipients of the first phase of Syukur in 2025.

Jannie also asked what other initiatives were carried out to help the poor and hardcore poor dropped from the eKasih list, so that they could receive the same assistance.

Abidin said the first phase of Syukur involved 72,060 poor and hardcore poor household heads listed in the eKasih system as of December 2024.

He said as of April 1, 95% had received the assistance while the rest were in the process of updating their data.