Poverty rate in Kelantan reduced: Mustapa

KOTA BARU: The rate of poverty, especially hardcore poverty, in Kelantan dropped to 0.4% in 2016 from 0.9% in 2014.
Kelantan Federal Action Council chairman (MTPNK), Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said the 0.4% was the same as the national level in 2016.
"The drop is due to the various development programmes planned by the federal government for Kelantan over the last number of years and we hope that in the years to come, the percentage will drop further.
"Among the efforts carried out to reduce the poverty rate in Kelantan are entrepreneurship and health programmes as well as the 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M)," he told a press conference after chairing an MTPNK meeting at Wisma Jabatan Pembangunan Persekutuan (JPP) Kelantan, here, today.
Also present was Kelantan JPP director, Yahaya Mamat.
Mustapa, who is International Trade and Industry Minister, said the hardcore poverty category was based on a household monthly income of RM930 with the minimum number of family members comprising a couple and three children.
However, he did not reveal the number of hardcore poor in Kelantan now. — Bernama