MACHANG: The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) is targeting 1,400 Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) veterans to participate in the Desa MADANI Veteran (VDM) programme nationwide this year.

Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari said the main objective of the programme is to assist the B40 group among the asnaf MAF veterans who require aid in terms of welfare, health, housing, education, and empowerment.

He said this programme also serves as a collaboration platform between the ministry and state governments in efforts to deliver welfare assistance to selected veterans specifically and the local community generally.

“As a start, we will hold seven series of programmes nationwide this year, involving 200 MAF veterans in each series, and we aim for 1,400 MAF veterans to benefit from it.

“We will monitor the feedback from time to time and will make improvements as the VDM programme is to help alleviate their burdens and those of their families,“ he told reporters after visiting MAF veteran Hassan Ahmad, 63, at his home in Kampung Chekok, Temangan, here today.

Elaborating further, Adly said that in addition to providing assistance such as essential items to MAF veterans, the VDM programme also serves as a platform to identify and facilitate the application process for the required contributions based on the welfare schemes of the Department of MAF Veterans Affairs (JHEV) and related entrepreneurship facilities.

“The government is committed to increasing the JHEV allocation from RM118 million to RM224 million this year to provide broader benefits to MAF veterans.

“This year, the government has also tripled the allocation for living allowances from RM54 million to RM174 million, and a total of 29,247 MAF veterans have received this benefit as of May 31,“ he added.