BUDGET 2021 will have to allocate more money to help the urban poor in line with the revised national poverty line, Khairy Jamaluddin said.

“Budget 2021 will be first budget with the new poverty line. 

“So, with the new poverty line, we will definitely see an increased amount of allocation for welfare assistance and poverty eradication efforts.

“We will have to spend much much more on welfare, we will have to spend much more on income support,” the science, technology and innovation minister told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today. 

In July, the Statistics Department raised the national poverty line from a monthly household income of RM980 to RM2,208. With the revision, more than 400,000 households in the country are now recognised as poor.

The Rembau lawmaker earlier participated in a food aid programme organised by ECM Libra Foundation and Pertiwi Kitchen in Chow Kit. 

The programme has distributed thousands of meals to the needy since the movement control order (MCO) was implemented on March 18, reaching 1,427 families and 640 urban poor, including single mothers.

Others at the programme today were ECM Libra Foundation chairman Kalimullah Hassan, Pertiwi founder Munirah Hamid, AirAsia’s Tony Fernandes, KLK Group’s Lee Oi Hean and YTL Power’s Yeoh Seok Hong. 

The group also visited three newly erected cubicles which function as shelters for the homeless around the Chow Kit area.

“One cubicle is divided into three mini cubicles, which can house about three, four people,” Khairy said.

Munirah of Pertiwi said the food distribution programmes were also a way to find out the problems faced by the urban poor.

Through this approach, they have helped children who would have otherwise missed receiving a proper education.

“Through feeding, (we) make sure they have proper nutrition and get closer to them to figure out proper solutions,” she said. – August 14, 2020.