Info_Penang Mission Impossible

HARDCORE poor families are set to be a thing of the past for Penang come December.

There are only about 300 hardcore poor families left in the state and they are expected to be elevated from hardcore poverty by the end of the year, said Datuk Abdul Ghani Ariffin who is deputy director-general of the Implementation and Coordination Unit (ICU) in the Prime Minister’s Department.

He said Penang was ahead of the national target to eradicate hardcore poverty by 2010.

“The economic status of 600 more families in Penang under the poor category also needs to be upgraded soon,” he said at the handing over ceremony of houses that were rebuilt and repaired under the Kepala Batas parliamentary constituency’s special programme to eradicate poverty.

Families with household income of below RM400 fall under the hardcore poor category while those with household incomes of RM400 to RM660 are in the poor category.

Abdul Ghani said the Prime Minister’s Department recently allocated RM1.5mil to rebuild 31 houses and repair 75 houses belonging to those under the poor category in the constituency.

He said the Penang Regional Development Authority (Perda) and Northeast district office engaged 35 contractors to rebuild the houses at RM20,000 each and repair the dilapidated ones at RM10,000 each.

Perda chairman Datuk Hilmi Abdul Rashid said that while the Government tried its best to help the group with improved facilities and income-generating projects, they should also learn to be independent.

“They must change their mindset and realise the importance of education. By acquiring some skills, they can work and eventually come out of the poverty cycle,” he said.

Odd-jobber Zulbahari Ismail, 45, among those whose houses were repaired under the scheme, said he was thankful to the department for building a second room as well as re-plastering the walls of his home.

“I was unable to work after fracturing my shoulder and feet in an accident 10 months ago.

“My wife, Azna Zakaria, works as a cleaner at the Penang Golf Resort to help make ends meet,” he said. The couple has four children aged between six months and 18 years.



Impossible!!!! It won't be less than this amount of numbers even after 10 years time.