Govt to ensure only eligible individuals in eKasih database

SIK: The government will carry out data clean up on the eKasih database to ensure that only individuals categorised as poor and hardcore poor are in the database, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed.

He said the Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) of the Prime Minister's Department would carry out the process to update the database next year.

"The ICU will clean up the figures on the eKasih list because these figures are important to enable the government to help those in need, besides ensuring that no eligible citizen is left behind in receiving assistance," he said in a press conference here today

Mustapa said the move was in line with the government's intention to eliminate hardcore poverty by 2025.

Earlier, as part of his working visit to the district, he visited the recipients of the Kasih Ibu Darul Aman (KIDA) programme and met with the settlers of Felda Teloi Timur here.

Mustapa said as of Oct 22, 506,669 individuals were listed in the eKasih database where 244,037 were categorised as poor and 262,632 were under the hardcore poor category.

He said the government also planned to implement a more holistic development programme in selected areas in states with high hardcore poor individuals to tackle the problem.

"So in Kedah, the state government is proposing that we choose an area in Sik, where many residents are categorised as hardcore poor, then we will implement a new method (development programme) holistically and comprehensively," he added.

-- BERNAMA