SHAH ALAM, Oct 30 — The state government is prepared to review the eligibility limits of several aid programmes to ensure the middle-income group (M40) also has the opportunity to benefit from Selangor's welfare policies.
State executive councillor for human resources and poverty eradication Papparaidu Veraman said the review is crucial to make Selangor’s aid policies more inclusive and reflective of current realities, as the existing eligibility thresholds are considered too low to meet the needs of those on the borderline between the B40 and M40 groups.
“The state government has always been committed to helping all levels of society, but the eligibility limits (capping) for certain aid programmes need to be reassessed.
“Many schemes still maintain a set limit for the B40 group, so we are now reviewing them to ensure that no M40 households, particularly those in the lower-middle-income bracket, are left out from receiving benefits,” he said as a guest on the 'Bicara Semasa' programme by Media Selangor recently.
Papparaidu added that applications from the M40 group are not automatically rejected solely based on income status but are instead evaluated comprehensively.
“We assess each application on a case-by-case basis, taking into account actual household burdens, including the number of children, responsibility for caring for elderly parents, and whether the spouse is unemployed.
“This approach ensures that M40 households living on the ‘borderline’ are not excluded from receiving assistance,” he said.
The councillor noted that several schemes under the Iltizam Selangor Penyayang (ISP) initiative have already been extended to the M40 group, including those related to healthcare, education, housing, and entrepreneurship.
To date, Selangor has implemented 46 welfare initiatives under the ISP, with an annual allocation exceeding RM600 million. All these schemes will continue to be strengthened and enhanced from time to time to ensure their benefits reach every level of society.
