PUTRAJAYA: The national Central Database Hub (Padu), which is a system containing individual and household profiles encompassing citizens and permanent residents in Malaysia, is now live.

       The platform was launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday (Jan 2).

       Anwar said subsidy rationalisation cannot be conducted effectively without Padu and digital transformation.

       He also commended civil servants for their ability to build Padu.

       "Their skills, knowledge and expertise have enabled the government to have a system in place without having to engage the services of consultants.

       "This has saved cost and money can be channeled to other purposes," he said during the launch at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC).

       It took six months to build the platform.

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       Malaysians will have until March 31 to update their details on the platform.

       Padu will act as a national database of socio-economic information for every household in the country, providing regular analytics with a comprehensive store of data updated in “near real time”.

       The development of Padu is intended to allow for data-driven policymaking and decision-making, while enabling targeted policy implementation.

       The system has been in development since June this year, and will see integration with MyDigital ID, the country's national digital identification system at a later date.

       More to come