Chief secretary to govt: RM2.8b federal allocation targets zero hardcore poverty and development projects in Kelantan

KOTA BHARU, Jan 1 — The government is committed to eradicating poverty in Kelantan through the People’s Well-being initiative and the coordination of direct assistance, said Chief Secretary to the Government (KSN) Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.

He said the agenda to eliminate poverty in Kelantan is receiving significant attention and is a primary focus of the government through this initiative.

“The Implementation Coordination Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department is responsible for preparing and monitoring poverty data for agencies that provide direct assistance to Heads of Households classified as poor and hardcore poor.

“Among the well-being initiatives implemented in collaboration with aid agencies in the state, aimed at achieving zero hardcore poverty, are the Didik Kasih Madani and Kasih Ihsan Madani programmes.

“In line with these initiatives, efforts involving whitelisting activities and task forces at the agency level, together with state government agencies, have shown results in detailing the needs to increase household incomes, thereby lifting them out of hardcore poor status,” he said.

He said this during the KSN Leadership Aspirations Ceremony with members of the Kelantan State Civil Service at the Kota Darulnaim Complex here today.

Meanwhile, Shamsul Azri urged federal public service implementing agencies to continue collaborating with Kelantan state implementing agencies to ensure the smooth execution of high-impact projects, particularly those benefiting the people’s well-being.

“As of Dec 16, 2024, there are a total of 454 projects, including 92 new projects approved under the Fourth Rolling Plan (RP4) of the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) for the year 2024.

“Kelantan has been allocated RM2.8 billion based on the original 2024 allocation from MOF (Ministry of Finance), with the total project cost amounting to RM25.9 billion,” he said.

He noted that the expenditure performance for RP4 12MP development projects, based on the original 2024 MOF allocation, stands at 84.98 per cent, which is lower than the national expenditure performance of 88.22 per cent.

According to him, the expenditure performance for federal development projects in Kelantan is encouraging but requires solutions to overcome challenges in the pre-implementation phase.

“Implementation issues include planning permissions, site availability, utilities, demographics and access,” he said.

Shamsul Azri highlighted that federal development projects requiring cooperation from the state government include the Kota Bharu-Kuala Krai Highway and Lingkaran Tengah Utama, where local authority processes for most packages are still pending, as well as the construction of sports facilities for SUKMA (Malaysia Games).

He said land works for infrastructure development and the main access road to the Bukit Merbau Sports Complex are funded by the state government.

“I am confident that with the dedication and high commitment shown by civil servants in Kelantan, we can overcome all challenges faced.

“Federal development projects in Kelantan aim not only to improve the people’s standard of living but also to demonstrate the federal government’s commitment to developing Kelantan to be on par with progress enjoyed nationwide,” he added. — Bernama