AMPANG: Some 100,000 households from the hardcore poor and B40 groups are expected to benefit from the People’s Income Initiative (IPR), which aims to upskill them into small-scale entrepreneurs.
Under this programme, participants will receive training and financial support from the government, as well as marketing advice, for two years.
Within this time span, they will also receive an allowance to top up their monthly income to reach at least RM2,000.
Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said the initiative would have three focus areas, namely Agricultural (Intan), Food (Insan), and Service Operator (Ikhsan).
Under the Intan thrust, the entrepreneurs would be given land and equipment to start off their farming activities, he said.
“They will also benefit from a matching exercise to find buyers for their agricultural produce to ensure a continuous income stream.
“This is on top of the financial support, such as money to buy fertiliser, as well as skills and business training,” he added.
Under the Insan thrust, participants could rent a vending machine to sell cooked foods at public hotspots like LRT stations and higher education institutions.
“The rental cost will be borne by the government,” said Rafizi.
As for the Ikhsan thrust, Rafizi said the government would help identify public facilities that can be managed by IPR participants.
“Like those under the Intan and Insan thrusts, these entrepreneurs will also be given the necessary equipment,” he said yesterday when launching the initiative at the Cempaka LRT station in Pandan Indah, Selangor.
Also present were the Mentri Besar of Selangor and Negri Sembilan, Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari and Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun.
At the event, they were also briefed on a nasi lemak and bottled water vending machine, priced at RM2 and RM1, respectively.
Under Budget 2023, the Economy Ministry received a RM750mil allocation to implement the IPR.
Further on in the programme, Rafizi said community groups and non-governmental organisations would act as mentors for these aspiring entrepreneurs.
“The aim is to create an ecosystem so that the participants can get support.
“This is important to ensure they remain competitive and are able to grow their businesses and subsequently escape the poverty trap,” he said.
As part of the marketing support, Rafizi said participants would receive guidance on the types of businesses that would be profitable in their locality to ensure there would not be an oversupply of services and offerings.
He said he would meet the respective mentri besar and chief ministers to expand the programme.
