KUCHING: Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah foresees that this year will see an increase in the number of individuals receiving monthly welfare assistance, due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and movement control order (MCO).
She expected the number of monthly welfare assistance recipients this year to exceed 52,785 – which is the number of recipients as at last year.
“Some people do not have income and some have fallen into poverty,” she said at a press conference here on Friday (Jan 22).
On the recipients of other welfare assistances provided by the state government, she said 53,209 babies have been registered for Endowment Fund Sarawak (EFS) since 2019 until Dec 31 last year.
“Meanwhile, a total of 23,564 mothers have received Bantuan Ibu Bersalin (BIB) last year, up until Dec 31,” she said.
With regard to the Special Annual Grant (GTK), she said 5,826 early childhood education institutions (IPAKKs) had received this assistance as of Dec 31 last year.
“Last year, 61 individuals received special aid for kidney patients,” she said.
Fatimah said 25,773 women in the low-income group had registered for i-Suri under the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) as of last year, while 1,000 entrepreneurs were eligible for the women entrepreneur grant through the Women and Family Department (JWKS) last year.
