By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, Sept 6: A total of RM7,644,780 in allocations has been handed over to Employees Provident Fund (EPF) Sarawak to be credited into KSKM members’ EPF accounts.
According to a press release, Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said the most recent allocation amounting to RM2,461,500 for 41,025 eligible National Poverty Database (e-Kasih) participants under EPF’s Kasih Suri Keluarga Malaysia (KSKM) Programme was credited last July 2022.
She said in 2020, the Sarawak government approved an allocation amounting to RM 1,546,380 to be given to 25,773 KSKM participants who have registered with EPF.
“Sarawak was one of the first States in Malaysia to implement this initiative. This is because we see this programme as very beneficial to help improve the standard of living especially for the poor, hardcore poor and B40 who are registered with e-Kasih,” said Fatimah at the Kasih Suri Keluarga Malaysia Programme 2022 organised by EPF Sarawak at Kota Samarahan Civic Centre today.
She said the Sarawak government’s allocation covered EPF contribution payment assistance of RM60 per year for each member who is a Sarawakian.
“With the payment of the contribution, each member is eligible to receive an incentive amounting to RM480 per year from the federal government.
“Accordingly, the Sarawak government has agreed to continue this assistance until 2024,” said Fatimah.
She explained that KSKM which was previously known as i-Suri, is one of the government’s special incentives for housewives and women registered in e-Kasih.
This incentive aims to ensure the well-being of housewives, single mothers and women who are heads of households as well as to recognise their contribution to family members and national development.
Fatimah however noted there is a large number of e-Kasih participants in Sarawak who have yet to register as EPF members.
“This indirectly causes them to be ineligible to participate in the KSKM Programme as well as be unable to enjoy assistance programmes or incentives provided by the Sarawak government.”
In addition to incentives, EPF members can also enjoy benefits as members, namely, tax exemptions, disability assistance, death assistance and annual dividends.
“Therefore, you are encouraged to register as an EPF member to enable payment of contributions from the State government to be carried out,” said Fatimah.
Also present were Kota Samarahan MP Datuk Rubiah Wang, EPF Sarawak director Halim Boweng, Sarawak Women and Family Department director Salmah Jobeli and Mohammad Tony Ong Abdullah, RHB Bank Sarawak Regional Director. — DayakDaily
