Latest news with #KDE
Barnama
5 days ago
- Business
- Barnama
Selangor Launches KDE Initiative To Streamline Funeral Aid
KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 (Bernama) -- The Selangor state government today launched the Khairat Darul Ehsan (KDE) initiative as a single entity to channel financial aid of RM1,000 to the next of kin of deceased individuals to help ease the burden of funeral expenses. Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said that previously, financial assistance for the next of kin of the deceased was distributed through separate programmes such as Skim Mesra, Iltizam Selangor Sihat (ISS), and Skim Insurans Am Selangor (INSAN). He said the Selangor government had allocated RM20 million for the implementation of KDE, compared to RM12 million previously under Skim Mesra, ISS, and INSAN, which benefited 5,995 recipients. 'The implementation of KDE also streamlines the provision of death benefit aid, which was previously channelled through various individual programmes,' he told reporters after officiating the launch of the Wanita Berdaya Selangor (WBS) Volunteers and Khairat Darul Ehsan at an event here today. Yayasan Warisan Anak Selangor (YAWAS) has been appointed as the main implementing agency for the initiative. Amirudin said KDE was part of the state government's efforts to enhance the delivery of benefits to the people, in line with the promises made under the '5 Commitments for 5 Years' manifesto. 'This initiative also aligns with the objectives of the First Selangor Plan to make Selangor a liveable state through improved wellbeing and social inclusivity,' he said. He said there were two eligibility categories for applying to KDE, namely the general public and Persons with Disabilities (OKU). For the general category, applicants must be aged 50 and above, Malaysian citizens, and registered voters in Selangor.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Selangor Women's Convention 2025 to strengthen role of women in state's development
KUALA LUMPUR: The Selangor Women's Convention 2025 on June 28 at the Shah Alam Convention Centre (SACC) will serve as a comprehensive platform to empower women and enhance their role in the state's social and economic development. State Women Empowerment and Welfare Committee chairman Anfaal Saari said the programme, organised by the Selangor Women and Family Development Standing Committee, through Wanita Berdaya Selangor (WBS), is targeting more than 1,000 participants representing government agencies, academia, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), industry and women from various walks of life. 'This convention is part of the implementation of the Selangor Women's Policy 2024-2026 and serves as a crucial platform to showcase policies and best practices in women's participation in the workforce, community entrepreneurship and digital empowerment,' she said after launching the WBS Volunteers and Khairat Darul Ehsan (KDE) here today. Themed 'Meneroka Kekuatan, Mencipta Kejayaan', the convention will feature three main components, namely Her Career Convention, Hasil Suri Expo and Digital Entrepreneur Pitching. Anfaal said the Her Career Convention focuses on women's career development through technical education and vocational training, including in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), as well as the care economy, with the participation of 30 companies. The Hasil Suri Expo will feature participation from 56 WBS Centres across Selangor, showcasing and marketing their respective community products, while the pitching session will involve 41 young female entrepreneurs presenting innovative digital ideas in competition for a special Digital Entrepreneur grant. Commenting on the state's target to increase women's workforce participation to 75 per cent by 2030, up from the current 69.9 per cent, Anfaal said several strategies are being implemented, including collaboration with TalentCorp and the organisation of the Career Comeback programme. 'Among the approaches introduced is the flexible work policy in state government-linked companies such as MBI Corporation. The feedback has been very positive because it helps women who need to care for young children or elderly parents,' she said. The state is also organising the Care Summit programme in October and expanding the Usahanita Digital initiative, a training and grant programme targeted at female entrepreneurs in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to accelerate the business digitalisation process. 'Through this programme, we help B40 and M40 women entrepreneurs registered with SSM to grow their businesses digitally. Several participants from the first cohort have successfully gained customers from abroad,' she explained. At the same event, Anfaal also announced the official launch of the KDE initiative, a continuation of the Mesra Selangor programme which provides death benefit (funeral) assistance of up to RM1,000 to the next of kin of the deceased. She added that more than 2,000 visitors attended the event today, including recipients of a special state grant of RM2,000 who participated in a care-giving course since last year. Anfaal expressed hope that the Selangor Women's Convention 2025 will serve as a catalyst for creating a comprehensive ecosystem for women's empowerment, offering career opportunities, including entrepreneurship, to women who are not yet formally engaged in the workforce. 'Through this platform, women can hone their potential and build strategic networks with various parties,' she said.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Selangor Women's Convention 2025 to strengthen role of women
KUALA LUMPUR: The Selangor Women's Convention 2025 on June 28 at the Shah Alam Convention Centre (SACC) will serve as a comprehensive platform to empower women and enhance their role in the state's social and economic development. State Women Empowerment and Welfare Committee chairman Anfaal Saari said the programme, organised by the Selangor Women and Family Development Standing Committee, through Wanita Berdaya Selangor (WBS), is targeting more than 1,000 participants representing government agencies, academia, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), industry and women from various walks of life. 'This convention is part of the implementation of the Selangor Women's Policy 2024-2026 and serves as a crucial platform to showcase policies and best practices in women's participation in the workforce, community entrepreneurship and digital empowerment,' she said after launching the WBS Volunteers and Khairat Darul Ehsan (KDE) here today. Themed 'Meneroka Kekuatan, Mencipta Kejayaan', the convention will feature three main components, namely Her Career Convention, Hasil Suri Expo and Digital Entrepreneur Pitching. Anfaal said the Her Career Convention focuses on women's career development through technical education and vocational training, including in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), as well as the care economy, with the participation of 30 companies. The Hasil Suri Expo will feature participation from 56 WBS Centres across Selangor, showcasing and marketing their respective community products, while the pitching session will involve 41 young female entrepreneurs presenting innovative digital ideas in competition for a special Digital Entrepreneur grant. Commenting on the state's target to increase women's workforce participation to 75 per cent by 2030, up from the current 69.9 per cent, Anfaal said several strategies are being implemented, including collaboration with TalentCorp and the organisation of the Career Comeback programme. 'Among the approaches introduced is the flexible work policy in state government-linked companies such as MBI Corporation. The feedback has been very positive because it helps women who need to care for young children or elderly parents,' she said. The state is also organising the Care Summit programme in October and expanding the Usahanita Digital initiative, a training and grant programme targeted at female entrepreneurs in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to accelerate the business digitalisation process. 'Through this programme, we help B40 and M40 women entrepreneurs registered with SSM to grow their businesses digitally. Several participants from the first cohort have successfully gained customers from abroad,' she explained. At the same event, Anfaal also announced the official launch of the KDE initiative, a continuation of the Mesra Selangor programme which provides death benefit (funeral) assistance of up to RM1,000 to the next of kin of the deceased. She added that more than 2,000 visitors attended the event today, including recipients of a special state grant of RM2,000 who participated in a care-giving course since last year. Anfaal expressed hope that the Selangor Women's Convention 2025 will serve as a catalyst for creating a comprehensive ecosystem for women's empowerment, offering career opportunities, including entrepreneurship, to women who are not yet formally engaged in the workforce. 'Through this platform, women can hone their potential and build strategic networks with various parties,' she said.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Selangor launches KDE initiative to streamline funeral aid
KUALA LUMPUR: The Selangor state government today launched the Khairat Darul Ehsan (KDE) initiative as a single entity to channel financial aid of RM1,000 to the next of kin of deceased individuals to help ease the burden of funeral expenses. Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said that previously, financial assistance for the next of kin of the deceased was distributed through separate programmes such as Skim Mesra, Iltizam Selangor Sihat (ISS), and Skim Insurans Am Selangor (INSAN). He said the Selangor government had allocated RM20 million for the implementation of KDE, compared to RM12 million previously under Skim Mesra, ISS, and INSAN, which benefited 5,995 recipients. 'The implementation of KDE also streamlines the provision of death benefit aid, which was previously channelled through various individual programmes,' he told reporters after officiating the launch of the Wanita Berdaya Selangor (WBS) Volunteers and Khairat Darul Ehsan at an event here today. Yayasan Warisan Anak Selangor (YAWAS) has been appointed as the main implementing agency for the initiative. Amirudin said KDE was part of the state government's efforts to enhance the delivery of benefits to the people, in line with the promises made under the '5 Commitments for 5 Years' manifesto. 'This initiative also aligns with the objectives of the First Selangor Plan to make Selangor a liveable state through improved wellbeing and social inclusivity,' he said. He said there were two eligibility categories for applying to KDE, namely the general public and Persons with Disabilities (OKU). For the general category, applicants must be aged 50 and above, Malaysian citizens, and registered voters in Selangor. The OKU category is open to holders of the Social Welfare Department's OKU card with no age limit, who are Malaysian citizens with at least one parent who is a registered voter in Selangor, and residents of the state. Eligible individuals may register online via starting June 1.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump administration refuses to restore $10.6 million in aid to KY schools
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon notified schools in March that the government was moving up the deadline for spending pandemic relief money. Some Kentucky school districts had already committed the funding to projects and services. (Photo by) The U.S. Department of Education denied a $10.6 million request to extend COVID relief funding submitted by the Kentucky Department of Education on behalf of school districts for nine projects. However, the federal department did extend COVID relief funding for two Boone County projects amounting to about $44,000. That includes $26,000 for an interactive online learning platform and another project to fund a year of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. School districts and states previously had until March of 2026 to spend COVID-19 relief funds that had been approved. However, in a March 28 letter, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon told state education departments that the federal government was immediately halting nearly $3 billion in relief fund reimbursements. McMahon wrote in her letter that the U.S. Education Department would consider extending the pandemic relief money on a case-by-case basis. Altogether, Kentucky was hoping to preserve $38 million in expected federal funding for projects and services in local districts and $18 million for the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE). The state has not yet received a federal decision on the rest of the projects it submitted for reconsideration, a KDE spokesperson said. Kentucky earlier this month had asked the U.S. Department of Education (USED) to approve a deadline extension for Kentucky school districts to use the COVID relief funds for planned projects that would be in jeopardy without the dollars. Some have signed contracts or incurred other obligations and must now re-examine their district budgets. Kentucky Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher expressed disappointment at the decision and said the state would appeal it. 'We expect the federal government to honor its promises to states and to our students,' he said. 'While I am pleased that USED will allow for Boone County to continue spending money on these two projects that were previously approved by the department last year, it is unfortunate that Kentucky has been denied more than $10 million – so far – to provide resources and improve the learning environment of our students,' Fletcher said in a Tuesday press release. 'While we hope for more good news in the coming days, we stand ready to appeal the projects that have been denied,' he continued. 'We will continue to fight for the resources our schools and districts have been promised by USED to continue their mission of providing the best education possible to Kentucky's students.' The KDE request that was denied included projects for school districts in Boone County, Christian County, Clinton County, Covington Independent, Jefferson County and Knox County. Christian County Public Schools had the most projects in the request — five — including about $7.9 million to construct a new high school. A spokesperson for the Christian County schools said in a statement that it will continue to focus on its mission to 'provide a high-quality education and celebrate student success' and work with legislators 'to advocate for the return of these funds to support the construction of the new Christian County High School.' 'Our focus, as always, is on supporting our students and staff,' the statement said. 'At this time, we are especially committed to celebrating the accomplishments of our seniors as they prepare for graduation and the next chapter of their lives.' Jefferson County Public Schools, the state's largest school district, requested about $340,000 to provide students experiencing homelessness with wraparound services. Mark Hebert, a spokesperson for JCPS, said in an email that the district is 'disappointed that the U.S. government is cutting funds that support the needs of our extremely fragile homeless student population.' The school district had signed a grant contract with the federal government and was using the funding for: Case management services for students who are homeless Food and hygiene items for students who are homeless Emergency short-term, or under five days, hotel vouchers for families in dangerous situations without shelter Transportation to ensure students who are homeless have stable schooling even when their families move from place to place Extended learning opportunities for unhoused students
