KUCHING: Sarawak has the most number of housewives who have contributed to the Housewife Social Security Scheme (SKSSR) since its launching.
In stating this, Women, Early Childhood, and Community Well-being Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said 40,298 Sarawakian housewives had registered themselves under the Kasih Suri Keluarga Malaysia.
“In Sarawak, those who are eligible for the scheme (the low income group) were given RM60 from the state government to enable them to register as the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) members.
“InsyaAllah this programme will continue this year as the state government has provided an allocation of RM4.2 million to benefit Sarawak women,” she said.
She said this during a press conference after receiving a courtesy visit from the Social Security Organisation (Socso) at Baitulmakmur Building II on Monday (Jan 30).
As those who have registered in the Kasih Suri Keluarga Malaysia 2022 will be automatically registered in the scheme, she said this will not only give them the benefit from the Kasih Suri, but they will benefit from SKSSR as well.
As such, she said, housewives are able to enjoy various benefits and assistance from it.
Emphasising that Sarawak fully supports the Housewives’ Social Security Act 2022 (Act 838), Fatimah expressed her hope that Budget 2023 will include assistance to be given to the housewives.
“If there is assistance given, it means that Sarawak will also benefit from it.
“Thus far, Sarawak has recorded around 1,869 housewives who are in the low income group. Hence, we hope that in the Budget 2023, there will be assistance for them so that they can become contributors to the scheme,” she said.
During the same session, Fatimah also witnessed the handing over of Socso Death and Mortuary Management Benefits under SKSSR amounting to RM2,000.
It was given to Amran Abdullah @ Camsi Masol, the husband of Alina Salleh who died on Dec 12, 2022.
According to Fatimah, Amran is the first next-of-kin to the insured housewives (SRB) in Sarawak to receive the said benefit since the scheme was introduced on Dec 1.
