LIMBANG, July 6: The Sarawak government has assured that it will assist those who are raising white flags during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period too signal that they are in dire need of food assistance due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said the State government had rolled out the Sarawakku Sayang Food Aid to every head of household.
Additionally, the federal government has allocated RM300,000 to each Member of Parliament (MP) for the same purpose.
“For those who really need food aid, they will be helped. However, I hope those who can actually afford similar food aid will not take advantage of this matter.
“Those who can afford to put food on the table, should instead provide assistance to those who cannot afford it, especially when we are facing the Covid-19 pandemic. It is important that we be sincere and no one takes advantage,” he said after presenting contributions to Limbang vaccination centre (PPV) yesterday (July 5).
Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of Transport, who is also the MP for Limbang, Datuk Hasbi Habibollah said, the distribution of food aid in Limbang parliamentary constituency was done on a targeted basis for the B40 group who truly need the aid.
“We will use the list of names available from the Social Welfare Department (JKM) that has been reviewed over the years and also the list of asnaf (poor) from Baitulmal. So, some 1,300 heads of household will benefit from the food aid.
“Besides that, the JKM is also in the process of finetuning applications for the food baskets based on their qualifications. This had to be filtered because the food baskets are given on a targeted basis,” he explained.
As of July 4, a total of 47,298 people or 64 per cent of the 73,923 eligible population in Limbang Division had received their first doses of Covid-19 vaccines. Those who had completed their second doses consisted of 16,005 people or 21.7 per cent of its residents.
To this, Awang Tengah said this number of vaccinations would be increased in the ongoing National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (Pick) this month.
“The number of people who are eligible to receive this vaccination, which is 18-years-old and above for the Limbang district, is 40,797 people. As of July 4, 22,446 people or 55 per cent have received the first doses of vaccine while those who have completed their second doses are 8,273 people or 20.3 per cent.
“For the Lawas District, those who are eligible to receive the vaccine jab are 33,126 people whereby 24,852 or 75 per cent have successfully received the first doses while 7,732 people or 23.3 per cent have successfully received the second doses,” he said.
During the event, Awang Tengah witnessed the handing over of four units of ventilators donated by the Brunei Darussalam government presented by the Limbang Divisional Disaster Management Committee (DDMC) chairman Ahmad Denney Ahmad Fauzi to Limbang Division Health Officer Dr Norliza Jusoh.
Also presented were 150 boxes of 100 Plus drinks from F&N Company, 150 boxes of mineral water drinks from the Northern Area Water Board (Laku) and food basket donations under the Sarawak Caring Farmers Programme from the Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land And Regional Development (Manred) and Limbang Area Farmers Organization (PPK) to the Dewan Suarah Limbang PPV. — DayakDaily
