KUALA LUMPUR, A total of 31,100 premises nationwide were inspected under the Ops Jamin between July 7 and yesterday, involving various levels of the rice distribution chain.
Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Fuziah Salleh said the inspections were carried out to monitor the supply and prices of rice, as well as other daily necessities such as sugar and cooking oil at the retail level.
“Today, we want to assess the situation regarding essential goods because we heard that there have been improvements. So, I came down to see if the situation had gotten better.
“However, we can see that the supply of local rice is still unavailable,” she told reporters after conducting inspections under Ops Jamin at a supermarket in Cheras Jaya here.
In this regard, she said the Rahmah Sales programme for imported rice would be continued and intensified to address the shortage.
Ops Jamin is a collaborative effort by the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) and the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry to ensure the availability of rice supplies at stable and controlled prices.
Meanwhile, Fuziah said that out of the 31,100 premises inspected, some 10 cases had been taken action for violations, namely four each related to the Consumer Protection Act 1999 and the Trade Descriptions Act 2011, and two were related to the Weights and Measures Act 1972.
In addition, 331 rice-related complaints have been received as of yesterday and have been forwarded to KPDN for further action.
Commenting on the Budget 2024 tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim last Friday, Fuziah said that it is a budget that favours the people, as the allocation for the Payung Rahmah initiatives has doubled to RM200 million.
“I am also happy for the hardcore poor because the prime minister has allocated RM10 billion for the Rahmah Cash Aid.
“Through the retargeted subsidy approach, we hope those who are eligible and entitled to subsidies can receive cash aid that can be used to buy essential goods,” she said.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency