PUTRAJAYA, Sept 29 — A new national poverty line income (PLI) will be introduced next year under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) so that the approach to eradicating poverty is more targeted, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed.

He said the current PLI is at RM2,208 based on state, urban and rural data but a targeted and more focused approach is needed so that the problem of poverty could be addressed more effectively.

"Dealing with poverty more effectively is one of the main agenda under the 12MP,” he told reporters after officiating the Economic Action Council (EAC)-United Nations (UN) roundtable discussion on ways to eradicate poverty and address vulnerabilities under the new normal here, today.

In July this year, Malaysia revised the PLI to RM2,208 compared with the RM980 rate that has been applied since 2005.

"The important thing is that we are more focused. For example, (now) we have B1, B2, B3 and B4 income groups. The B40 group was one category but now it has four components,” Mustapa said.

He said the government is in the process of conducting engagement sessions with various stakeholders to obtain views to review the PLI. — Bernama