KUALA LUMPUR (March 15): There will be no problem stopping the Department of Social Welfare (JKM) cashless assistance payment (JKMPay) pilot project if it is found not to be benefiting beneficiaries,” said Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, Datuk Siti Zailah. Yousoff.
She said that since the project, which involves new beneficiaries, is still at the pilot stage, the ministry will wait for the results of the study in April before deciding whether to pursue it or not.
“This problem arose when we received complaints, some of which said that the aid we had given them had been misused by their families. We also received positive responses and we carried out studies, the majority said they had no issues (with JKMPay), but we are still in the pilot and study stage.
“If the project is not profitable, no problem. We can take it back and return to the normal payment method (cash) as this is only a pilot project and we plan to evaluate all complaints and opinions until April,” she said during of the close of debate on the vote of thanks for the Royal Speech for Ministry in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday, March 15.
She stressed that the initiative was not intended to restrict the rights of people with disabilities (PwDs) to spend, but rather to expand the group’s method of spending towards cashless payment.
Siti Zailah said 397 stores were approved to participate in the pilot project in February and 250 outlets applied and wanted to register under JKMPay.
Meanwhile, Minister of Federal Lands Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim, while closing the debate on the same motion for the Ministry of Federal Lands, said Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) had identified five locations for construction of 5,000 social housing units.
He said one of the locations is at Sungai Udang, involving 897 units which are expected to be fully completed next month, while four others, which are still in the planning stage, are at Jalan Selimang (702 units). , Desa Tasik (1,000 units), Bandar Baru Sentul (168 units) and Jalan Tasik Permaisuri (204 units).
“The main objective of the social housing development is to assist the B40 group as a transit before they can afford to own their own home as there are a limited number of Popular Housing Project (PPR) units ) that can be offered. It is also to help low-income city dwellers to rent houses,” he said.
Regarding the question raised by Lim Lip Eng (PH-Kepong) regarding the need for DBKL to conduct a census or survey of PPR tenants, he said that this is always done as tenants are asked to update their income from time to time.
Shahidan said DBKL also ran a social housing or PPR rental extension period program, which was subject to income information provided by tenants.
For more articles on Parliament, click here.
