Kuala lumpur: The Central Database System (PADU) has successfully integrated data from 204 agencies, updating 30.4 million citizen and permanent resident profiles as of June 2025. The Ministry of Economy (MOE) emphasized that the data from PADU enables the government to effectively identify target groups for intervention programmes, including the distribution of subsidies.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the government is proposing a shift in the method of identifying target groups. Instead of relying on the traditional B40, M40, and T20 household income categories, it plans to use net disposable income (NDI). This approach measures household income based on the difference between disposable income and the Basic Expenditure of Decent Living (PAKW), which represents the total monthly expenses needed for a household or individual to maintain a decent standard of living.

The Ministry of Economy addressed a question from Kamal Ashaari (PN-Kuala Krau) concerning the PADU system’s effectiveness in ensuring fair and accurate subsidy distribution. The ministry highlighted that sharing data from PADU can enhance policy planning and the execution of programmes or projects while maximizing the use of government resources.

The ministry further explained that this initiative aims to reduce inclusion and exclusion errors, allowing for improved monitoring and evaluation processes.