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Perak to introduce medical, food card for less fortunate

The Perak state government under the leadership of Pakatan Harapan is currently in the final stage of introducing the medical and food card in an effort to alleviate the burden of the less fortunate.

Menteri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu said through the move the allocation would be credited into the cards that could be used similar to debit card.

“Card holders can seek basic treatment at private clinics and buy basic necessities such as sugar, rice, etc. However, the amount (of allocation) has yet to be fixed,” he said in an interview with the media at his official residence in Ipoh, recently.

Ahmad Faizal, who is also Perak Harapan chairman, explained there were some constraints such as equipment to use the cards that should be provided in the villages before the facility could be introduced.

“Such equipment is only available at the supermarkets, so it does not make it easier for the people in the villages to shop for essential items. Our focus is to help those in the interior and in small villages,” he said, hoping the cards could be introduced this year.

In an unrelated development, Ahmad Faizal, who is also Chenderiang assemblyman, said the state government would standardise the leasehold period for all residential lands in the state to 99 years including for those with expiring lease.

“We want to make sure that nobody will feel that they are second or third class citizen, hence, we are committed to open the lands to all races.

“For the new areas, 99-year leasehold not necessarily standardised, but the areas with remaining lease of 30 years to 60 years such as in Tambun and Tapah, it can be continued of up to to 99 years,” he said.

Ahmad Faizal, who is also MP for Tambun, said he understood the people’s expectations regarding the issuance of permanent land titles but the matter should be referred to the Federal government as it involved the National Land Council and the National Land Code.

Meanwhile, the state government has allocated a total of RM3 million to assist the Chinese private secondary schools, the missionary schools and the Chinese and Tamil National Type schools in Perak this year.

“The amount of allocation is based on the number of students in each school, but at the same time we will also continue to assist the tahfiz schools, religious schools and so on,” he said adding that all the initiatives implemented were the promises offered in the Harapan manifesto in the 14th general election (GE14).

- Bernama

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