KUALA LUMPUR: About 40,000 fishermen have received the cost of living aid since early this year following the whitening process implemented by the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry.
Its minister, Datuk Salahuddin Ayub the process, however, was still on-going to identify the remaining fishermen eligible to receive the aid.
“Actually, we have almost completed the process and this year, we have given out the aid to the target group of about 40,000 fishermen,“ he told reporters after launching the direct sale of marine resources from the landing place to the selected sales centre in Sungai Buloh, near here, today.
The whitening process on farmers and fishermen is carried out to ensure that the monetary aid reaches the target groups, besides preventing leakage and misappropriation.
On today’s event, Salahuddin said it was a pilot programme through the new centre for economic growth which enabled marine products to be supplied directly to consumers without the involvement of middlemen.
He said about 50 such centres were targeted for opening across the country this year so that the people could have access to daily necessities at reasonable prices. — Bernama
