KUALA LUMPUR – Almost RM170 million in compassionate aid has been distributed to 168,959 heads of households affected by the 2022/2023 northeast monsoon season, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said that RM560,000 death assistance was also distributed to 56 next of kin of disaster victims.
She said that the 2023/2024 northeast monsoon season has not yet ended, but the federal government, through the National Disaster Management Agency, has channelled the initial allocation of disaster aid to all states, totaling RM232 million, to expedite the distribution of compassionate aid to affected heads of households who meet eligibility requirements.
“This is not a form of compensation for the losses suffered by disaster victims, but rather a sign of the federal government’s concern to ease the burden on disaster victims,” she said.
She was responding to a question from Datuk Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff (Rantau Panjang-PN) about the aid policy for flood victims, as well as the amount of compensation, including compassionate assistance, during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Nancy said that, in addition to the federal government’s assistance, the state governments can identify other assistance to contribute through state-level agencies, such as zakat boards and corporate bodies, to help ease the burden of disaster victims.
In addition, she said that in order to improve preparedness for the impact of hot and dry weather during the monsoon transition, which is expected to last until the end of March, the government has agreed to carry out cloud seeding operations to ensure adequate water resources in water catchment areas throughout the period. – February 27, 2024