THERE are no more households in Sabah classified as hardcore poor, said Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

He said the state achieved this milestone on July 31, 2024.

“Due to the commitment from all, which aligns with the aspirations of the Madani government and the Sabah Maju Jaya Plan 1.0 (2021-2025), I am pleased to announce that we succeeded in eliminating hardcore poverty, as reflected in the locked figure list on July 31, 2024,” he said.

This follows Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement on May 31 in Kota Kinabalu that the issue would be resolved by the end of July.

Hajiji made these remarks while launching the padi cultivation pilot project in Kota Marudu today.

He also credited the elimination of hardcore poverty in Sabah to government-linked companies like Sawit Kinabalu, which have provided employment opportunities for unemployed youth in the state.

Sabah has seen a dramatic decrease in hardcore poverty cases, thanks to a targeted poverty reduction strategy developed by the Sabah Maju Jaya secretariat.

Sabah established the secretariat to address the issue and explore new economic opportunities, including the blue economy concept.

The secretariat, among other initiatives, set the baseline household income at RM1,218 per month and rigorously screened the e-Kasih data list for disqualification.

It also uncovered fraudulent claims during the process.

The secretariat previously noted that it has successfully reduced the number of hardcore poor from 22,150 households to 8,037 households by June 6, 2024.

Similarly, the number of individuals living in hardcore poverty decreased from 94,315 to 43,641 over the same period. – August 13, 2024