Guan Eng touts success of Penang welfare schemes

GEORGE TOWN: Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has touted the success of its welfare schemes here by declaring that the RM412.63 million state allocation since 2008, was the largest ever amount given out to the unfortunate and needy groups in Penang.
The state government was able to dish out such an allocation because it enjoyed a surplus budget since 2008 due to the concept of competency, accountability and transparency (CAT) of which corruption was not tolerated at any levels, he said.
And from it, comes the dividends of an incorruptible government, Lim said.
An example is that Penang no longer has groups classified as absolute impoverished, saying RM23.215 million was allotted since 2008 to ensure that each working family in Penang must earn a minimum ceiling of RM790 a month.
"For families earning say RM600 a month, the state will top it up monthly by an additional RM190 to ensure they reach the margin of RM790 a month."
About 2,500 households have benefited from this scheme to eradicate hardcore poverty in the state, Lim told a press conference here.
The rest who are getting either monthly or annual welfare handouts were single mothers, senior citizens, the disabled, bright students, bereavement expenses, taxi drivers, school bus drivers, trishaw peddlers, fishermen and farmers.
Around 1.6 million residents in Penang have gained from the RM412.63 million allocated from the state for the needy groups here, he declared.
Yesterday, the state also launched its latest welfare initiative called the Mutiara Food Bank where excess food from the private sector's enterprises was collected and redistributed to some 5,000 poor people in Penang.
The programme is the brainchild of Lim's strategic adviser Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, who is also the PKR secretary - general.
Initially, the Mutiara Food Bank worked with the Tesco hypermarkets in Penang — eight branches to collect excess food from its vegetables, fruits and bakeries sections, and to donate it to the poor households in Penang, said Saifuddin.
Now, the food bank is also working with the Penang Chefs Association and the Malaysian Association of Hotels' Penang chapter to also collect excess food from the kitchens and to donate it to the poor, Saifuddin said.
The pilot project which began in May this year, has seen some significant inroads in curbing food wastage where usually such produce would end up in rubbish incinerators.