KUCHING: The printing of Kenyalang Gold Cards (KGCs) has commenced and they will be distributed to applicants soon after being officially launched by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg yesterday.
Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development (KWKPK) Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said 17,024 cards had been processed.
“However, 4,045 of the 17,024 have incomplete data, with some missing identity card (IC) numbers, handphone numbers and so on,” she said at the Sarawak Women X: Global Innovative Entrepreneurship programme at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here yesterday.
“Today (yesterday, March 7) this information can be updated as applicants can just visit the Socoe booth here to do so and their card will be printed. Very efficient,” she said.
She said that KGC cards would be distributed with assistance from government and non-government organisations (NGOs) who had helped with registrations, such as Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), the Sarawak Women and Family Council (MWKS), Kuching South City Council (MBKS), and Sarawak Gerontology & Geriatics.
She said that the state government had allocated RM24,493,635 for the implementation of KGC.
“As of March 4, the ministry has received 133,342 applications, or about 40 per cent of 334,500 senior citizens based on the population projection this year,” she said.
Fatimah said that KGC benefited senior citizens over the age of 60 through discounts and rebates on goods and services from KGC strategic partners, including those related to health, public transport, and necessities.
On another matter, she said that the state government also provided assistance for kidney patients, allocating RM4,673,917 to lighten their treatment costs.
She also pointed out that RM30 million had been allocated by the statement government for the Endowment Fund Sarawak (EFS) this year, with an 89 per cent registration rate this year (as at February 29) compared to last year’s 84 per cent.
“We want to increase the number of EFS registrations,” she said, commending the improved statistics.
Touching on the RM450 Maternity Assistance, she said that 3,363 mothers had registered as of March 4. A total of RM18 million was allocated for this scheme this year.
“This equates to about 60 per cent, which is very good progress as this is newly introduced,” said Fatimah.
Meanwhile, for Special Annual Grant (GTK) for taskas and tadikasI, which was allocated RM16 million this year by the state government, she said this year as of March 4, a total of 2,485 institutions had applied – amounting to 79 percent of the total number of institutions.
Also present were the Chief Minister’s wife Datuk Amar Juma’ani Tuanku Bujang; Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Integrity and Ombudsman) Datuk Talib Zulpilip; Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Law, State-Federal Relations and Project Monitoring) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali; Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian; Assistant Minister of Women, Family and Childhood Development Rosey Yunus; and Assistant Minister of Community Wellbeing Datuk Francis Harden Hollis.
