Malaysia: More pocket money for disabled

The monthly allowance for the 9,514 disabled persons attending Community Rehabilitation Centres (PDK) nationwide will be increased from RM50 to RM150 with immediate effect.

The allowance paid to 1,479 PDK teachers will also be raised from RM500 to RM800 per month while a monthly allowance of RM1,200 would be given to the newly-created posts of PDK supervisors.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who announced this when launching the Semai Bakti Phase 2 programme at PDK Puteri Gunung, Simpang Ampat here, said: “We want to help alleviate the burden of those with disabled children as well as those who give them care.”

Earlier, he announced an allocation of RM80.1mil this year, including a RM20.95mil grant, for the PDK programme that is run by the Welfare Services Department.

The grant, he said, would be used to build four new PDKs while the budget to buy rehabilitation equipment would also be increased.

Under the new budget, Abdullah said the PDKs would get RM3,000 instead of RM500 a month for rental of premises.

“We have also increased the allocation for programmes at PDKs from RM5,000 to RM30,000 annually.

Handicraft class: Jeanne holding up a bird-shaped ‘bunga telur’ made from paper cups by PDK students as Abdullah looks on at the PDK Puteri Gunung in Simpang Ampat, Penang.

“There will also be a new allocation of RM1,000 a month for utilities expenses at all PDKs,” he said.

The Semai Bakti programme, jointly conducted by Bakti (the Association of Wives of Ministers and Deputy Ministers) and the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, was started by the late Datin Paduka Seri Endon Mahmood in 2005.

Earlier, Bakti president Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah said Phase I of the Semai Bakti programme was initially conducted in PDKs within Felda schemes.

Under the second phase, she said, the programme would be carried out at all PDKs in the country.

“It is our responsibility as a society to care and accept disabled persons as they are,” she said.

Meanwhile, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said parents and guardians could now sign up with the Welfare Services Department to get a monthly allowance of RM300 per family.

She said the allowances would be given out from next month.

“All parents and guardians with disabled children are eligible for this aid,” she said at the same function.

She said the Government had allocated RM219mil for welfare aid services under Budget 2008.

Source: Bernama