PUTRAJAYA, Dec 5 — The Ministry of Federal Territories will formulate Urban Poverty Eradication Master Plan to address the issue of poverty in Kuala Lumpur comprehensively.

Its minister Khalid Abd Samad said the plan would be drafted by a special task force based on findings from seminars and brain-storming sessions involving representatives from the public and private sectors, as well as academics, economists and the public.

They have been given between six and nine months to prepare the master plan, he told a news conference after officiating a seminar on eradicating urban poverty here today.

Explaining further, Khalid said the master plan would among others, redefine the meaning of urban poverty to include the real situation of urban poor in Kuala Lumpur by taking into account of their dependants.

He said the task force would also establish an urban poor registry to ensure the implementation of the master plan benefits its target group.

In another development, Khalid said the ministry would set up a think-tank to generate views and solutions on poverty and traffic congestion issues in the capital city.

The think-tank would comprise those who are familiar and have deep knowledge about the situation in Kuala Lumpur, he said. — Bernama