We have never run any surveys on Padu, says ministry
PETALING JAYA: No surveys on the Central Database Hub (Padu) have ever been run, says the Economy Ministry.
This was after the ministry revealed it discovered the presence of a survey, conducted through Google Forms, requesting feedback on Padu.
“For the public’s information, the Economy Ministry has never run any surveys regarding the Padu system. We advise the public to be careful when giving out information to unfamiliar quarters,” it said in a social media post yesterday.
Separately, close to eight million registrations had been made on Padu as of 11.59pm on Sunday, according to the Statistics Department (DOSM).
In an infographic shared on DOSM’S social media pages, it said that some 798,528 registrations had been recorded since Padu’s launch on Jan 2.
Selangor had the highest number of registrations at 182,943.
This was followed by Johor with 85,975, Sarawak (72,775), Perak (71,409), Sabah (60,001), Kedah (52,034), Penang (43,943), Negri Sembilan (39,804), Kelantan (37,082), Pahang (36,354), Melaka (25,464), Terengganu (22,632) and Perlis (7,003).
The Federal Territories, comprising Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan, recorded a total of 61,109 registrations.
Padu is the government’s central hub for data on citizens, aimed at distributing aid and subsidies efficiently and accurately.
The database, which civil servants took six months to build, is part of the government’s overall plan to restructure subsidies for fuel and electricity, which are currently enjoyed by everyone regardless of their income levels.
Padu will allow the government to target aid and subsidies based on whether a person or family qualifies for them. Aside from household and individual income, Padu contains data on the number of dependents a person has, the household size, cost of living, distance to workplace and assets.
Meanwhile in PUTRAJAYA yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, in his monthly address to staff of the Prime Minister’s Department, said the government will make several improvements to Padu based on feedback from the public.