KUALA LUMPUR – The Madani administration is still moving forward with the implementation of the Central Database Hub (Padu), stating that the programme is currently in its second stage.
According to the Economy Ministry, under the first phase of implementation, 11,554,124 individuals have updated their information and details on the database as of 31 March.
“For the second phase, operations will focus on identifying targeted groups for the distribution of subsidies,” the ministry said.
The Economy Ministry said this in a written parliamentary response to Ampang MP Rodziah Ismail who raised the question concerning the progress of the government’s Padu initiative.
Padu, launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on January 2, aims to create a national data hub to prevent misallocation in the distribution of government aid and subsidies.
On 16 May, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said that Padu is ready for the government to implement programmes or initiatives for the people, including targeted subsidies, at any time.
However, any decision regarding the implementation of the mechanism will only be made by the government at an appropriate time to avoid inflationary speculation, Rafizi said at the time.
Recently, the government drew flak over the Padu programme after Putrajaya used the Subsidy Assistance Programme (Budi) to distribute cash aid for diesel vehicle owners following a decision to hike fuel prices on June 10.
This move prompted PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden to question the federal government on why it did not use Padu to distribute diesel subsidies instead.
“The minister said those who did not register with Padu would be left out of the distribution of subsidies which caused many to buy into the system.
“Now they say those who are eligible for subsidies have to register using the Budi system to get their RM200 a month cash aid.
“So what happened to Padu? Why wasn’t it used to distribute subsidies,” Afnan said in a Facebook statement last month. – June 26, 2024