PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim wants the entire government machinery to work together with a focus on eradicating “hardcore poverty” in the country this year.
“This year, we must eradicate and put an end to ‘hardcore poverty’, including in Negeri Sembilan,” Bernama reported.
“We cannot just talk about the High-Speed Rail (HSR) and East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) projects, semi-detached buildings, Putrajaya and so on.
“All this, while the poor still don’t have enough money to buy milk for their children or school clothes. We have to prioritise that (eradicating poverty),” he was quoted as saying at an event in Nilai, which was also attended by deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Last month, deputy economy minister Hanifah Hajar Taib told the Dewan Rakyat that the number of hardcore poor households in the country decreased from 124,744 to 118,217 in the five months leading up to May 15.
She said that based on the Household Income, Expenditure and Basic Amenities Survey Report 2019, the incidence of “absolute poverty” was 5.6% while “hardcore poverty” was 0.4%.
The hardcore poor refers to households with a monthly income of less than RM1,169 while those in “absolute poverty” have an income of less than RM2,208.
