Call for senior citizens in S'gor to sign up for Smue

The Selangor Children's Heritage Foundation (Yawas) has urged senior citizens in Selangor to sign up for the revamped Skim Mesra Usia Emas (Smue) scheme to enjoy its benefits soon.

The foundation's general manager Gan Pei Nei (above) estimated that some 200,000 senior citizens are qualified for the scheme.

As only 103,320 next-of-kin had benefited from the scheme since 2008, Gan said the new scheme would benefit more people.

She said those who had further enquiries should contact Yawas at 03-5481 8800.

Smue was previously a scheme which paid RM2,500 to the next-of-kin of Selangor residents aged 60 and above for funeral expenses. This scheme will end today and the new scheme will begin in October.

The new scheme involves a once-a-year RM100 shopping voucher for festive seasons. Only those above 60 years old and are residents of Selangor can qualify.

According to Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, the new scheme which was estimated to cost the state RM20 million annually will allow senior citizens to enjoy benefits while they are still living.

"The state government wants senior citizens to appreciate and enjoy the state's revenue while they are still alive," said Amirudin four days ago.

Apart from Smue, the Selangor government is also tweaking its Kasih Ibu Smart Selangor (Kiss) and Skim Peduli Sihat (SPS) programmes.

Both Kiss and SPS have been suspended temporarily pending a database update.