SHAH ALAM, Aug 17 — Selangor will explore innovative financial instruments and strategic investments, including private capital, to empower the care industry without depending on government funding, said state executive councillor for women empowerment and welfare Anfaal Saari.
She added that the focus is also on new investment opportunities to create more jobs and catalyse Selangor’s economic growth.
She said that through Wanita Berdaya Selangor (WBS), the state government will recognise the caregiver profession and address legal gaps to guarantee their welfare and social protection.
“We will also compile intervention recommendations based on our field visits to keep strengthening familial resilience and improving social economic productivity.
“The state government remains committed to (realising) this aspiration and implementing it to ensure a resilient and inclusive care economy agenda,” she told reporters after chairing the Fourth Roundtable: Care Economy themed “Towards a Sustainable Financing Model to Strengthen Selangor’s Care Economy”.
Anfaal said the care economy must be comprehensively recognised as a strategic investment so its services are regarded as inclusive, quality, and consistent.
“This is why we are taking proactive steps to explore social financing and sustainable financing models with the active involvement of the private sector, financial, wakaf and zakat institutions, and social impact funds,” she added.
She explained that the measure supports the Second Selangor Plan (RS-2) framework, which aims to raise the median monthly household income to above RM14,000.
“This is our way to realise this aspiration under RS-2’s Third and Fourth Missions towards a liveable state, caring community and (productive and inclusive) workforce,” she said.
RS-2 outlines six missions, 25 priority areas and 98 initiatives to address economic development, the people’s well-being, human capital development, environmental sustainability, and administrative efficiency.
Selangor is targeting an economic growth of 6.1 per cent, overall investments of RM330 billion, and a lower unemployment rate of 2.2 per cent by 2030.
RS-2 also focuses on efforts to narrow inter-district income gaps and improve the people’s quality of life through housing developments, better public transport, and improved support facilities.
The plan is a follow-up to the previous RS-1, and will be the Selangor government’s main guide for development until 2030.
