KUALA LUMPUR – Ahead of the Federal Territories Day tomorrow, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin tonight launched the Urban Poverty Programme 5MY to help poor communities in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan.
In a televised address, he said the programme consists of five initiatives – MYJobs@Wilayah, MYGrocer@Wilayah, MYSchoolBus@Wilayah, MYMedic@Wilayah and MYFood@Wilayah.
The MYJobs initiative is aimed at providing jobs to those unemployed in the Federal Territories, with Muhyiddin saying more than 3,000 jobs will be available in Kuala Lumpur through the initiative.
The MySchoolBus initiative is aimed at reducing the cost of schooling by providing transportation assistance to students, while MyMedic will provide free basic healthcare services via moving clinics to poor areas.
Meanwhile, the MyGrocer initiative will provide groceries and basic necessities at a price up to 20% lower than public markets, while MyFood will provide food basket assistance.
Muhyiddin said the 5MY programme addresses the rising cost of living, as well as the issue of people’s survival and poverty eradication in the Federal Territories, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He added that the Federal Territories Ministry will review target recipients to ensure no one who needs help is left out.
“The ministry will also give out 5,750 bags of rice for free every week to the B40 group.”
In a trial programme last year, Muhyiddin said more than 35,000 households and 331 low-cost housing projects in Kuala Lumpur received direct aid. – The Vibes, January 31, 2021