| Najib: 200,000 Families To Benefit From Rice Subsidy Programme |
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SABAK BERNAM, Nov 6 (Bernama) -- Starting Dec 1 this year, more than 200,000 families nationwide will get to enjoy the people's rice subsidy (Subur) which was launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak here on Friday night.
Najib said that through the Subur initiative, the poor and the hardcore poor, including the Orang Asli and the Bumiputera in Sabah and Sarawak, would be given vouchers to be exchanged or to be used to buy Super Tempatan 15 (ST15) rice.
Those in the hardcore poor group would be given vouchers worth RM24 which they could exchange for a sack of 10kg of rice.
They would be given three vouchers a month, giving them 30kg of free rice during the period.
"The 30kg will be sufficient. A plate of rice will be enough as do two plates of rice," he said when launching the scheme at Dataran Tonggak 10 Sungai Besar.
He said that for those categorised as poor, they would be given vouchers worth RM10, which they needed add RM14 more to buy 10kg of rice.
Apart from the poor and hardcore poor, the scheme will also be extended to welfare homes and they will be given vouchers worth RM10 a month.
The vouchers' distribution will be handled by the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry.
Saying that the government should feel the heartbeat of the people and care for their well-being, the prime minister said Subur was a manifestation of such desire to help the people.
"I don't want the people to be burdened by the issue of whether there will be food on the table, whether there will be uniform for the children to go to school, or whether the roof of their house is leaking," he said.
Najib said Subur was a fine example of the how the government provided assistance to the people.
He said that the government had also provided various assistance such as subsistence allowance for fishermen worth RM200 a month, the sale of 45,000 units under the people's housing programme for RM35,000 each and increasing the allocation for Mara and Tekun loan facilities.
Najib said that there should be no doubt of Barisan Nasional's commitment to champion the people's cause.
At the event, Najib also presented vouchers to six recipients comprising Malay, Indian, Chinese, Orang Asli and Bumiputera from Sabah and Sarawak.
Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Noh Omar, who was present at the event, said the programme would ensure that the rice subsidy would reach its target group.
He said that the poor and hardcore poor, who were not listed as recipients, could register themselves with the ministry's agencies as well as the village security and development committee.
-- BERNAMA
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