KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 — The improvement of welfare for disabled children in the 2025 Budget, including provisions for the autism community, demonstrates the Women, Family, and Community Development Ministry's (KPWKM) commitment in advocating for the needs of disabled children as well as those with rare diseases.
Its minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the government remains committed to ensuring the welfare of disabled children is well taken care of, treated equally, and empowered through the ministry’s allocation in Budget 2025.
“They need to be given attention and treated fairly; that is our role. If we look at Budget 2025, we can see provisions for the autism community, which were not included before.
"So we will discuss how we will implement this... But we are very happy that there has been an improvement compared to before. InsyaAllah, we may also look into the needs of other conditions, including rare diseases,” she said.
Nancy was speaking to the press after attending the Spastic Fun Run 29th Annual Charity Wal-Jog-Wheel-A-Thon at Dataran Merdeka today
In her speech, the minister said that as of October 31, over 740,000 disabled persons have been registered with the Social Welfare Department (JKM), compared to 633,653 disabled persons registered in 2023.
“I am pleased to inform that during the tabling of Budget 2025, a total of RM200 million has been allocated to extend the Special Needs Student Allowance of RM150 per month, which will benefit more than 100,000 disabled students across Malaysia. It was also announced that RM5 million will be allocated to develop an Autism Service Centre in our country.
“Our goal is to continue increasing these numbers and gather more accurate data. I would like to encourage everyone to help us raise awareness and inspire every disabled person to register with JKM, towards ensuring that no one is left behind, especially in receiving assistance from our ministry,” she said.
Nancy added that this year, KPWKM has approved an allocation of more than RM412,632 for organisations supporting the spastic and physically disabled community nationwide.
“For the Spastic Children's Association of Selangor & Federal Territory (SCAS & FT) alone, a total of RM117,600 has been approved for the Special Needs Students' Allowance, volunteers' tokens, and administrative matters,” she said.
The SCAS & FT event saw 2,000 participants, including 300 persons with disabilities, competing in three categories: 2km, 5km, and 10km.
— Bernama
