SHAH ALAM, Dec 23 — At least 20 per cent of recipients of the Bantuan Kehidupan Sejahtera Selangor (Bingkas) initiative are expected to break out of the poverty cycle via the implementation of the Bingkas Plus programme.
State executive councillor for women empowerment and social welfare Anfaal Saari said that recipients of the RM300 assistance over a period of 18 months are matched with specific training programmes to enhance their capabilities and subsequently generate income.
Bingkas Plus was designed as a pathway to reduce long-term dependence on cash assistance by improving skills.
“We want them to be more self-reliant through re-skilling or acquiring new skills so that they can generate their own income.
“If some of them manage to escape poverty and even give back through zakat or taxes, that would be the benchmark of success for Bingkas Plus,” she said on the 'Skop' programme produced by Media Selangor.
Anfaal added that one of the main challenges in eradicating poverty is changing the mindset of a small number of asnaf (Islamic tithe recipients) who tend to accumulate various forms of assistance to the point of losing interest in working.
“There are those who receive assistance from the Social Welfare Department, zakat, and Bingkas amounting to as much as RM2,000 a month, and then say they no longer need to work. This cycle needs to be stopped.
“We want low-income families not only to be assisted, but to be empowered so that they can escape the cycle of poverty and live more prosperous lives,” she said.
Anfal also noted the RM100 childcare subsidy for children aged six and below under the MamaKerja initiative, which helps reduce nursery costs and increases women’s participation in the workforce.
