SINGAPORE: Partnership with the community can help improve public sector service delivery, said Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport Josephine Teo.
Speaking in Parliament on Monday (Mar 9), Mrs Teo said this can help address the constraints of slower workforce growth, while the government strives to serve the public effectively and efficiently.
An example cited was the Pioneer Generation (PG) Ambassadors programme, in which volunteers rather than public officers are the main touch-points for senior citizens. Around 1,500 volunteers have come forward to be trained as PG Ambassadors, and they have collectively reached out to more than 20,000 people from the Pioneer Generation.
Mrs Teo said the Government will build on their reach by equipping the PG Ambassadors further, through continual training in areas of interest to pioneers, such as the Medishield Life scheme.
Mrs Teo also addressed requests for tax incentives to be granted to more non-profit organisations, beyond Institutions of a Public Character (IPCs).
She said all charities and IPCs enjoy income tax exemptions, while social enterprises can tap additional funding support through the ComCare Enterprise Fund and the Tote Board’s Social Enterprise Hub. She added that an upcoming one-stop centre for social enterprises will also seek to deliver a wider range of support for social enterprises.
news source & image credits: channelnewsasia.com
