KUCHING: Cases of people who were not eligible for the Sumbangan Keperluan Asas Sarawak (SKAS) this year, despite having been eligible previously, will be addressed through the appropriate channels.
Women, Early Childhood and Community Well-being Development Minister, Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah, acknowledged that such cases, described as “anomalies”, can occur in large-scale assistance programmes.
“Each time we implement an initiative, there will be anomalies.
“These are cases that do not fall within the general guidelines and need to be handled separately,” she said on Tuesday (March 17).
She explained that common reasons for such discrepancies include changes in household status, such as the death of the registered head of household.
“For example, previously, the assistance was registered under the husband as head of household. When he passes away, his name is no longer in the system, which affects eligibility.
“These are situations that need to be updated and rectified,” she said.
Fatimah stressed that affected individuals should report their cases to the relevant committees at the district or divisional level for verification and further action.
“The names must be submitted to the committee at the district level, and from there it will be forwarded to the relevant authorities for review,” she said.
She added that while most recipients fall within the established guidelines, exceptions will always exist due to real-life circumstances.
“Our experience shows that the majority comply with the criteria, but there are cases that require special consideration due to changes in their situation.
“These are the ones we need to look into and resolve,” she said.
