Registration commences for EPF’s i-Suri scheme
KUANTAN: The registration for the Employees Provident Fund’s (EPF) Caruman Sukarela Insentif Suri (i-Suri) received lukewarm response from housewives here yesterday.
Checks at the EPF headquarters here showed only one person turned up for the registration.
The programme was launched by Deputy Prime Minister and and Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail last week as part of Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) election manifesto.
Housewives, widows and single mothers whose profiles are enlisted in the National Database on Poverty (eKasih) can register for i-Suri and contribute a minimum of RM5 on a monthly basis into their retirement savings accounts, to be eligible to receive a government incentive of RM40 per month, which will be deposited into their EPF accounts.
Eligible individuals who sign up for i-Suri will be able to enjoy the same benefits as EPF members, such as annual dividends on their retirement savings, age 50, 55 and 60 withdrawals, incapacitation benefit and death benefit.
According to statistics from eKasih, there are 221,890 housewives, 98,536 widows and 28,116 divorcees from the hardcore poor segment who are eligible to enjoy the government incentive by participating in i-Suri.
Housewife, Sarimah Kasih, 54, said the i-Suri programme was a good initiative undertaken by the government to help women.
“This is the best thing for women to have some form of security if anything untoward happens to us.
“I came to register this morning and it was very easy. I urge more women to do it,” she said at the EPF office.
In Ipoh, 80 housewives registered for the programme yesterday.
However, four ended up being rejected as they did not meet the criteria.
Housewife Low Mei Kok, 49, who registered, said she was happy about joining the programme.
“My husband is bedridden and this scheme will come in handy.”