KAR1SMA TO BENEFIT THE LESS FORTUNATE

RECIPIENTS ....Minister of Community Development and Consumer Affaris, Azizah Dun (centre) together with the recipients of the KAR1SMA @Hati Rakyat voucher.

By : ELAINE MAH

THE MINISTER of Community Development and Consumer Affairs, Datuk Azizah Dun today handed out the voucher to 22 recipients from the Kota Kinabalu parliamentary constituency at Wisma Innoprise.

The KAR1SMA @Hati Rakyat Programme is a government initiative launched by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on the 15th February 2013 in conjunction with the launching of the Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) in Perak.

A total of RM250 million has been allocated for this programme, benefiting 200,000 targeted Malaysians nationwide. According to officials from KAR1SMA, the voucher is given exclusively to less fortunate Malaysians, who are either low income earners, senior citizens, single mothers or disabled citizens.

Through the programme, recipients in Peninsular Malaysia will receive RM200 vouchers while those in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan will receive RM300 vouchers.

Recipients of the KAR1SMA will need to redeem their vouchers through the purchasing of household goods from selected stores registered under the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives, and Consumerism on or before 31st March 2013.

Harta Saibol, 60, is grateful to the government for the voucher as it will help her household budget.

35 year old Jaminah Karangas will use the voucher to buy school supplies for her four children. She said that while the sum is not large, it will at least lessen her burden momentarily. (Insight Sabah)