Sabah Assembly: 3,978 KIR Under Hardcore Poor Category As Of September

KOTA KINABALU, Nov 19 (Bernama) -- A total of 3,978 household heads (KIR) were classified as hardcore poor, while 68,089 were categorised as poor as of September this year in Sabah, the State Legislative Assembly was told today.

Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan said this brought the combined total of KIR in the poor and hardcore poor categories to 72,067, involving 265,335 household members.

“The figures presented are dynamic data, which are constantly updated in the e-Kasih database,” he said in response to a question from Datuk Jonnybone Kurum (GRS-Telupid) on government initiatives to eradicate poverty in the state.

According to Nizam, static data as of January 2023 recorded 22,510 KIR and 94,315 household members as hardcore poor, but they have been lifted out of the status through Phase One of the Hardcore Poverty Eradication Programme 2024, completed on July 31.

He further said that the state government, through the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) Secretariat, is currently tracking KIR eligible for poverty aid but not registered in the e-Kasih database.

“Field profiling by the SMJ Secretariat task force has identified 268 unregistered KIR, which was due to factors such as financial constraints in accessing district offices, transportation issues, lack of access to online registration, or reluctance due to shame or embarrassment,” he said.

Nizam explained that the Sabah Poverty Eradication Programme outlines five key intervention areas, namely housing, education, employment, welfare and entrepreneurship, with 77,256 interventions provided to hardcore poor groups as of last month.

“A total of 50,556 KIR received Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) assistance, valued between RM450 and RM1,200, this year.

“To date, RM58.79 million has been disbursed under the SARA programme to beneficiaries in the poor and hardcore poor categories statewide,” he said.

For Phase Two of the Hardcore Poverty Eradication Programme in 2025, Nizam said the state government remains committed to addressing not only hardcore poverty but also general poverty.

“Census and monitoring efforts will continue for households listed in the static and dynamic data in the e-Kasih database. Special attention will also be given to those who are excluded from e-Kasih to ensure they receive suitable aid interventions,” he added.

-- BERNAMA