KUANTAN: Every new-born in Pahang next year will receive RM300 under the Pahang Pride Kid incentive, an increase from the one-off RM200 given this year.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said currently under the initiative, each child born will receive RM100 savings with Bank Rakyat and another RM100 worth of baby and mother care products.
"I announced the Pahang Pride Kid when tabling the state budget in December last year and the initiative was introduced this year with each new-born entitled to RM200. Due to Pahang's stable financial position, the state government will increase the amount to RM300 in 2023.
"Each child will either receive RM150 bank savings and RM150 worth of baby products but I guess it will be better to give each new-born RM200 worth of savings and items worth RM100. This year, an allocation of RM5 million has been set aside for more than 25,000 new-born babies, " he told reporters after launching the Pahang Pride Kid programme at Taman Bandar in Indera Mahkota here today.
Meanwhile, Wan Rosdy said the Pahang Pride Kid incentive was to also encourage population growth where Pahang, the largest in Peninsular Malaysia, currently has about 1.6 million people
"Our records showed about 25,000 babies were born in Pahang last year and we hope there will be an increase this year. To date, around 6,000 babies were born in all 11 districts throughout Pahang this year.
"Under the initiative this year, the Pahang government aims to plant a tree for each baby born and Bank Rakyat has contributed RM250,000 to purchase the saplings. The saplings were provided by the Pahang Forestry department," he said, adding 400 saplings representing each baby born in Pahang were planted here today.
Wan Rosdy described the event here as significant since it was the first time children born this year in Kuantan were present with their respective parents.
He said all new-born babies in Pahang this year were entitled to the incentive regardless of which state their parents originated from.
"For example, if a pregnant mother from another state is on vacation in Pahang and gives birth here, then the child is eligible to receive the Pahang Pride Kid. We will make the process (registration for incentive) simple with less bureaucracy," he said.
During the state assembly sitting in March, State Unity, Social Welfare, Women and Family Development Committee chairman Datuk Seri Shahaniza Shamsuddin was reported saying the tree planting initiative for each baby born will be carried out at all 14 parliamentary constituencies in the state.