Budget 2023: RM1 billion to eradicate poverty

KUALA LUMPUR - The government allocates RM1 billion for the Malaysian Family Extreme Poverty Eradication Programme (BMKTM).

Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said the allocation involved RM750 million from the government and RM250 million from Government Linked Companies (GLC).

"This allocation is to quicken the agenda of eradicating poverty from the country," he said in the tabling of Budget 2023 in Parliament on Friday.

The budget themed Strengthening Recovery and Facilitating Reforms towards Sustainability of Economic Resilience and Wellbeing of Keluarga Malaysia had for core focuses which were wellbeing of the people, business continuity, economic prosperity and efficiency of government services.

Tengku Zafrul further commented on the BMKTM programme and said it would prepare economic opportunities for over 50,000 severely poor households to increase their income through agricultural projects as well as products and service entrepreneurship.

"The aid given included training, initial capital, agricultural incentives, marketing and digitisation.

"It is hoped that the efforts would raise the income of the severely poor households until the income exceeds the food poverty line," he said.