TEMERLOH: A special cooperative will be set up in each state constituency to assist the poor in generating higher incomes and to expose them to business opportunities.

Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Minister Datuk Noh Omar said the cooperative would be known as "Koperasi Bela Rakyat", or Kobera, and would be given a launching grant of RM30,000 each.

He said participants would receive RM100 worth of shares each and they would enjoy annual dividends based on the profits made by their cooperatives.

"We will launch Kobera after holding a meeting with our cooperative development officers and state assemblymen before month end," he said after launching the ministry's "Gerak Usahawan" programme here yesterday.

Present were his deputy Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, who is also Temerloh MP and State Information, Communication and Technology committee chairman Datuk Mohd Sharkar Shamsudin.
Noh said the ministry would seek help from state assemblymen to set up the cooperative and identify suitable participants.

"Priority will be given to the hardcore poor, as we want to ensure that they can get a continuous income rather than a one-off cash aid," he said.

Noh also said that it would be easier for the government to channel aid to the poor if they were Kobera members.

He said the ministry's officials would help the cooperatives to venture into business, including developing idle land in their areas.

"The shareholders will also be involved in the projects. This will allow them to get extra income and buy more cooperative shares," he said.

On "Gerak Usahawan", Noh said the programme would be brought to four districts every week to expose more people to entrepreneurship and the opportunities provided by the government and the private sector.

He said the ministry planned to attract 1.5 million people to join the programme as it wanted to produce 25,000 entrepreneurs by 2010.

The ministry also wanted to increase the number of cooperatives from 5,170 at present to 10,000 in 2013.

Earlier, Noh presented loans and financial aid worth RM6.9 million to entrepreneurs and cooperatives in Temerloh district.