Latest news with #409
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
RM3.3 mln aid for rural communities in Gua Musang
GUA MUSANG: The government has allocated over RM3.3 million to support rural communities in Pos Brooke and Kuala Betis through the Essential Goods Distribution Programme. The initiative, running from this year until 2027, aims to provide six essential goods—white rice, white sugar, wheat flour, cooking oil, LPG, and RON95 petrol—at prices matching urban rates. Kelantan Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) director Azman Ismail said the programme will benefit over 9,000 residents. 'This effort ensures rural consumers access basic necessities without price disparities,' he told reporters after the programme launch in Pos Brooke. Transportation costs for the goods will be fully covered by the government, with a contracted transporter delivering supplies from source points to rural sales centres. The estimated cost for Kuala Betis is RM1,185,409, while Pos Brooke's allocation exceeds RM2,187,840. Azman emphasised KPDN's commitment to improving rural livelihoods through this initiative. – Bernama
Barnama
2 days ago
- Business
- Barnama
KPDN Allocates Over RM3.3 Mln To Lessen Burden Of Rural Community
GUA MUSANG, July 29 (Bernama) -- The government has allocated over RM3.3 million to implement the Essential Goods Distribution Programme in areas around Pos Brooke and Kuala Betis for three years starting this year. Kelantan Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) director Azman Ismail said the programme was aimed at ensuring consumers in rural communities obtain basic goods at prices that are aligned with prices in urban areas. He said the programme, spanning this year to 2027, focuses on six main goods -- white rice, white sugar, wheat flour, cooking oil, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and RON95 petrol. 'The programme is expected to give great benefits to over 9,000 rural residents in Pos Brooke and Kuala Betis, and at the same time reduce the gap in the price of basic goods between urban and rural areas," he told reporters after the programme at Pos Brooke here today. Azman said the government will also bear the full costs of transportation for the six types of goods that are the basic needs of the people through the programme. "Transportation services are carried out by an appointed transporter company responsible for bringing goods from the point of source to the sales centre in the rural areas. "The estimated contract cost for the implementation of this programme for the three years is over RM1,185,409 in Kuala Betis and over RM2,187,840 in Pos Brooke," he said, adding that the KPDN would continue to be committed to ensuring the people's well-being through the implementation of this programme. -- BERNAMA
NDTV
25-06-2025
- NDTV
Justice After 32 Years: Postmaster Acquitted By High Court Over Minor Error
Betul: After a legal battle spanning more than three decades, postmaster Mankaram from Betul has finally been acquitted by the Madhya Pradesh High Court in a 32-year-old case that began with a minor clerical lapse. The case dates back to 1983, when an inspection revealed that Mankaram had failed to record a deposit of Rs 3,596 in the branch register. However, the amount had been properly deposited in the government treasury and also reflected in the account holder's passbook. Despite the absence of any financial misconduct, the error was treated as criminal embezzlement. In 1993, a trial court convicted Mankaram under Section 409 of the Indian Penal Code (criminal breach of trust by a public servant), sentencing him to imprisonment "till the rising of the court" and imposing a fine of Rs 3,000. Mankaram appealed the decision, but the sessions court upheld the conviction. Refusing to give up, he moved the Madhya Pradesh High Court in search of justice-a process that took 32 years to yield results. Finally, Justice MS Bhatti of the High Court overturned the lower court's ruling and acquitted Mankaram, stating clearly that the act amounted only to a disciplinary lapse, not a criminal offense. The judge emphasized that lower courts must assess whether an act was committed with criminal intent before delivering such judgments.
Malaysiakini
23-05-2025
- Business
- Malaysiakini
Rethinking graduate wages in M'sia: Are we seeing the full picture?
While concerns over low starting salaries for graduates are valid and deserve attention, it is important to frame the conversation around comprehensive data rather than isolated anecdotal accounts. The recent narrative, as featured in an article titled 'Degree holders lament incommensurate wages', paints a dismal picture of graduate earnings. However, key national statistics suggest a more nuanced and, in some cases, more optimistic reality. A broader look at graduate earnings Contrary to claims that most degree holders earn below RM3,000, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) reports a median salary of RM4,409 and a mean salary of RM4,933 for graduates in 2023. These figures reflect a more accurate average of what degree holders are earning across industries, rather than the narrower lens of entry-level salaries in specific sectors. Furthermore, MYFutureJobs, Malaysia's national job matching platform, shows that graduate-level jobs advertise an average salary of RM4,537 as of April 2025. For better alignment with DOSM's data, another perspective from PERKESO's Data Placement 2024 reports that the average salary for graduates entering PMET (Professionals, Managers, Executives, and Technicians) occupations is RM3,598. These numbers show strong alignment between advertised and actual salaries, indicating that the labour market may be more competitive and fairer than suggested by individual employer surveys. Contextualising entry-level wages It is true that starting salaries in the public sector at RM2,250 for Grade 9 (formerly Grade 41) are lower than average salaries in the private sector. However, this doesn't capture the full compensation trajectory. Grade 9 positions in government service can reach up to RM11,110, and they often come with long-term benefits like pension schemes, job security, and annual increments that may not exist in many private roles. At the same time, graduates from arts and social sciences tend to earn lower starting salaries, largely due to a combination of market oversupply, limited demand, and the less direct commercial applicability of their qualifications. According to the Ministry of Higher Education's 2023 data, over 150,000 graduates, or more than 50 percent of total graduate output, were from non-STEM fields like Business Administration and Law (82,288 graduates), Arts and Humanities (22,558), Education (17,933), and Social Sciences (17,539). This oversupply creates a notable mismatch between graduate output and labour market needs. Bridging this gap requires targeted upskilling in areas such as digital literacy and analytical competencies, which are critical to enhancing employability and opening pathways to higher-value career opportunities, both in the public and private sectors. A case of mismatch, not oversupply One of the key issues at hand is not necessarily that there are too many graduates, but that many are underemployed. According to DOSM, 35.7 percent of employed graduates in Quarter 1, 2025, were in roles that did not match their qualifications, which is a symptom of skill mismatch, not an oversupply of graduates per see. The Graduate Employability Rate (GER) for 2024, on the other hand, stands at 92.5 percent, which reflects that the vast majority of graduates are indeed employed. Therefore, the challenge is aligning the quality of those jobs with the qualifications and aspirations of graduates, which is an issue that calls for better industry-academia alignment, not just wage reform. What needs to change Rather than placing undue emphasis solely on starting salaries, which are understandably lower as part of the natural career progression, the national conversation should pivot towards more sustainable and impactful solutions. One of the key areas requiring attention is the closing of the skill gap. This involves a critical enhancement of university curricula to ensure that graduates are equipped with competencies that align with the evolving needs of industry. A stronger emphasis on practical, industry-relevant education can bridge the disconnect between academic training and workplace expectations. Equally important is the support for upskilling and reskilling initiatives, which empower graduates to transition into high-demand and emerging sectors such as digital technology, green economy, and advanced manufacturing. These sectors not only offer better remuneration but also greater long-term career resilience in a rapidly shifting job market. Through data mining and analysis, efforts have been made to explore parameters that allow comparison between reskilled or upskilled graduates and fresh graduates. While direct official salary comparisons for reskilled individuals are limited, existing policy frameworks and research consistently highlight that reskilling enhances employability, job readiness, and career advancement. These improvements are generally associated with more favourable salary outcomes compared to those of fresh graduates entering the workforce without additional training or experience. In addition, greater industry collaboration must be encouraged. Structured partnerships between the public and private sectors can create clear, purposeful pathways from education to employment, including internships, apprenticeships, and industry-driven training programmes, which can ease the transition into the workforce and raise job quality. While there are legitimate concerns about business sustainability, especially among micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), blanket suppression of graduate wages should not be seen as a viable solution. Instead, a more balanced and forward-thinking approach is needed, one that integrates performance-based remuneration, targeted government incentives, and comprehensive labour market reforms. Such a strategy would not only support business viability but also ensure fair and equitable compensation for Malaysia's highly educated workforce. This Social Security series is in collaboration with PERKESO.
New Straits Times
23-05-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Rethinking graduate wages
WHILE concerns over low starting salaries for graduates are valid and deserve attention, it is important to frame the conversation around comprehensive data rather than isolated anecdotal accounts. The recent narrative, as featured in a news article, paints a dismal picture of graduate earnings. However, key national statistics suggest a more nuanced and, in some cases, more optimistic reality. A BROADER LOOK AT GRADUATE EARNINGS Contrary to claims that most degree holders earn below RM3,000, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) reports a median salary of RM4,409 and a mean salary of RM4,933 for graduates in 2023. These figures reflect a more accurate average of what degree holders are earning across industries, rather than the narrower lens of entry-level salaries in specific sectors. Furthermore, MYFutureJobs, Malaysia's national job-matching platform, shows that graduate-level jobs advertised an average salary of RM4,537 up to last month. In alignment with DOSM's data, the Social Security Organisation's (Perkeso) 2024 Data Placement also reports that the average salary for graduates entering PMET (Professionals, Managers, Executives, and Technicians) roles is RM3,598. These numbers show strong alignment between advertised and actual salaries, suggesting that the labour market may be more competitive and fairer than what individual employer surveys suggest. ENTRY-LEVEL WAGES It is true that public sector entry-level salaries, such as RM2,250 for Grade 9 (formerly Grade 41), are lower than private sector medians. However, this figure does not capture the full compensation trajectory, as Grade 9 positions in the government can rise to RM11,110 and come with long-term benefits such as pension schemes, job security and annual increments, which are often absent in many private sector roles. At the same time, graduates from the arts and social sciences tend to earn lower starting salaries, largely due to market oversupply, limited demand and less direct commercial applicability of their qualifications. According to the Higher Education Ministry's 2023 data, over 150,000 graduates, or more than 50 per cent of total graduate output, came from non-science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields such as Business Administration and Law (82,288), Arts and Humanities (22,558), Education (17,933) and Social Sciences (17,539). This oversupply has created a mismatch between graduate output and labour market needs. Bridging this gap requires targeted upskilling in areas such as digital literacy and analytical competencies — skills critical to enhancing employability and creating pathways to higher-value career opportunities in both the public and private sectors. MISMATCH, NOT OVERSUPPLY One of the key issues is not necessarily an oversupply of graduates, but underemployment. According to DOSM, 35.7 per cent of employed graduates in the first quarter of this year were in roles that did not match their qualifications — a clear sign of skill mismatch rather than graduate surplus. Yet, the Graduate Employability Rate for last year stood at 92.5 per cent, reflecting that the vast majority of graduates are employed. The challenge lies in aligning job quality with graduate qualifications and aspirations. This issue calls for improved industry-academia collaboration, not just wage reform. WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE Rather than focusing solely on starting salaries, naturally lower as part of early career progression, the national conversation should pivot toward sustainable and impactful solutions. Chief among them is closing the skill gap, which requires critically enhancing university curricula to ensure graduates are equipped with skills that align with evolving industry needs. Greater emphasis on practical, industry-relevant education can bridge the disconnect between academic training and workplace expectations. Equally important is supporting upskilling and reskilling initiatives, which empower graduates to transition into high-demand sectors such as digital technology, the green economy and advanced manufacturing. These sectors offer not only better remuneration, but also long-term career resilience. Data analysis has begun to explore ways to compare outcomes between reskilled/upskilled graduates and fresh graduates. Although direct official salary comparisons are limited, existing policy frameworks and research consistently show that reskilling improves employability, job readiness and career progression, often leading to better salary outcomes than those available to fresh graduates. Additionally, stronger industry collaboration must be encouraged. Structured partnerships between the public and private sectors can create clear, purposeful pathways from education to employment, such as internships, apprenticeships and industry-driven training programmes that ease workforce entry and raise job quality. While there are legitimate concerns about business sustainability, especially among micro, small and medium enterprises, blanket suppression of graduate wages should not be seen as a viable solution. Instead, a more balanced and forward-thinking approach is required: one that integrates performance-based remuneration, targeted government incentives and comprehensive labour market reforms. Such a strategy would not only support business viability, but also ensure fair and equitable compensation for Malaysia's highly educated workforce.
