PAPAR – The number of hardcore poor households in Sabah has dropped by almost 76% to 5,379 in a year, according to the state government.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor said the number of hardcore poor families has reduced from 22,510 in 2023 to 5,379 to date, attributing it to Sabah Maju Jaya initiatives.
“The Sabah government through the Sabah Maju Jaya secretariat has involved several government and private agencies to offer jobs to the heads of families as well as family members of those falling under the hardcore poor category.
“The state government is determined to eradicate poverty. We will continue to use this aggressive approach to achieve zero-hardcore poor in Sabah.”
Hajiji said at the launching of the state-level Maal Hijrah celebration ceremony at the Papar Community Hall here, which was officiated by Sabah Governor Tun Juhar Mahiruddin.
On May 31, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his long-awaited visit to Sabah declared that the federal government was determined to achieve zero-hardcore poverty in Sabah by the end of July.
With Hajiji’s announcement today, the prime minister has until the end of the month to uplift the 5,379 hardcore poor families.
This would mean that the government needs to assist these families to increase their household income to over RM1,169 per month, which is the current threshold for the hardcore poor category, followed by the absolute poverty category which includes families with a household income of less than RM2,208.
In March this year, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said the rate of hardcore poverty in Sabah stands at 1.2%, in stark contrast to the national rate of 0.2%.
Among districts with the highest rate of hardcore poor are Tongod (5.9%), Beluran (5%), Pitas (4.8%), Kinabatangan (4.6%), Kota Marudu (4%), and Tuaran (2.6%). – July 7, 2024
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Pic courtesy of Sabah Chief Minister’s Department