KUALA LUMPUR: The Rural Development Ministry has given its assurance that the Orang Asli will not be excluded from the food aid being distributed by the government amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rural Development Minister Datuk Dr Abd Latiff Ahmad said as the government shifts into the second phase of the Movement Control Order (MCO), food aid will be given out to 55,000 households.
This, he said, include some 853 Orang Asli villages nationwide, with a total allocation of RM6 million.
He said a total of 49, 670 households nationwide had benefited from the first phase of the food aid initiative via the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) from April 2 until 10.
“The food aid has so far benefited 725 villages. The second phase of the assistance will begin on April 10 by increasing the number of recipients to 55,000 households.
“The second phase is a redistribution of the first phase with the addition of families who are nomadic and living in other villages.
"Throughout phase one of the MCO, the Orang Asli community received assistance from several quarters, coordinated by the state and district JAKOA with collaboration from several government agencies,” he said in a statement.
Each food aid, he said, was valued at RM100. They include hygiene kits such as antiseptic items, face masks, soap and milk powder for the children.
The aid distribution, he said, is done through the respective village heads and monitored by district JAKOA officers to ensure that each household receives assistance.
“We hope that this aid it will ease the burden of the Orang Asli community throughout the MCO.” he said.