Fatimah: JKM to focus on productive welfare to increase household income

Fatimah (centre) presenting angpau to one of the recipients of JKM’s monthly assistance at the 2022 Chinese New Year Love Bouquet Ceremony at Dewan Sungai Maong, yesterday. – Photo by Muhamad Rais Sanusi

KUCHING (Jan 27): The Sarawak Social Welfare Department (JKM) will focus on productive welfare in the effort to increase its clients’ household income.

And to ensure the productive welfare initiative achieves its objectives, the government provides funds in the form of Launch Grants to target groups, said Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development, Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah.

According to her, for that purpose, the government has allocated RM6 million with a maximum assistance of RM5,000 for each JKM client.

“In 2022, we will focus and further strengthen productive welfare. We provide a launch grant with a maximum amount of RM5,000 that can be applied for by JKM clients who want to venture into business or activities that can increase their income.

“We see this as one of the ways to provide income to JKM clients, especially with the hope that they can get out of the Poverty Line (PGK) and no longer depend entirely on JKM assistance,” she said.

She was speaking at the 2022 Chinese New Year ‘Sejambak Kasih’ ceremony for Kuching Division at the Sungai Maong community hall here yesterday.

Fatimah added that JKM will ensure that their clients remain productive and are trained, assisted and monitored from time to time.

“Once they have completed the training, we hope they apply for assistance under this Implementing Grant to purchase equipment to start their business or activities that can increase income.

“If our clients manage to increase household income by 20 per cent, that already counts very well.

“We will implement this initiative every year, so that more JKM clients are helped to increase their income and get out of poverty,” she added.

Meanwhile, at the Sejambak Kasih ceremony, a total of 100 recipients of JKM assistance from Kuching Division received cash donations along with Chinese New Year hampers.

Also present were Sarawak JKM director Noriah Ahmad, Kuching Deputy Resident Mackos Sibong, Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Batu Lintang chairman Sih Hua Tong and Pemanca Dato John Diong Tak Chong.

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