SHAH ALAM, Sept 20 — The Bantuan Kehidupan Sejahtera Selangor (Bingkas) initiative will be enhanced next year, targeting families whose incomes have been affected.
State executive councillor for human resources and poverty eradication Papparaidu Veraman said the state government will refine its formula to ensure that those affected receive support and can eventually break free from poverty.
“This initiative is jointly managed with the state executive councillor for women empowerment and social welfare Anfaal Saari to raise socio-economic standards.
“However, this time the formula will be improved to specifically target families in need of assistance, whether by relaxing or revising the conditions, so that they can receive help and move out of poverty.
“In addition, several programmes focusing on vulnerable groups like senior citizens, disabled persons, and disadvantaged youth will be implemented to address livelihood challenges,” he told Media Selangor.
Bingkas is one of 46 incentives under the Iltizam Selangor Penyayang framework, launched in 2022 to replace the Kasih Ibu Smart Selangor (KISS) and KISS IT (Single Mothers) schemes.
Beginning last year, the eligibility criteria for Bingkas applications were relaxed to include households earning below RM5,000, compared to the previous threshold of RM3,000, allowing more people to benefit from the scheme.
Papparaidu added that Selangor is aiming for the unemployment rate to continue declining by 2026 through various initiatives, including career fairs.
“It is expected that next year’s unemployment rate will fall by two percentage points compared to four per cent during the Covid-19 period. This is in line with the Selangor Second Plan (RS-2).
“However, I believe that if we address unemployment effectively, the rate could drop to as low as 1.8 per cent,” he said.
