KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 — Payment for the first phase of Bantuan Prihatin Nasional (BPN 2.0) amounting to RM7 billion will be channelled to the existing 10.6 million eligible recipients in stages starting October 26.
The Finance Ministry in a statement yesterday, announced that the first phase payment of BPN 2.0 amounting to RM4.8 billion for the B40 category involves RM3.7 million who will each receive RM1,000.
The payment will be made in two instalments of RM700 at the end of October and RM300 in January 2021.
The second group involving 3.8 million single B40 groups will receive RM500 involving two payment instalments of RM350 in October 2020 and RM150 in January 2021.
The third group involves 1.4 million M40 households who will receive RM600 in two instalment payments of RM400 in October 2020 and RM200 in January 2021.
For the 1.7 million single M40 groups, they will receive RM300 which will be paid in two instalments, RM200 in October 2020 and RM100 in January 2021.
All payments will be made directly into the bank accounts registered under the BPN database, the statement said.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said the new BPN 2.0 application was open from October 15 to November 15, to help those who had never received BPN before, including the new vulnerable group who are eligible to apply due to changes in their income status affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said to ensure that BPN reaches those who are truly eligible, a review process on new applications will be made immediately and for those who are approved, payment will be made in one lump sum in January 2021.
“New BPN 2.0 applicants can refer to the Frequently Asked Questions uploaded on BPN official portal, https://bpn.hasil.gov.my/ for more information or to apply.
“I would like to express my appreciation to all parties involved, especially the Inland Revenue Board and Bank Simpanan Nasional to enable the delivery of BPN 2.0 to be implemented smoothly for the convenience of the people.
“I would also like to advise the people to beware of scammers who are increasingly daring to take the opportunity to deceive the public who need BPN 2.0 assistance. Recipients are advised to refer to official sources and not provide personal information to any unknown party,” he said.
— Bernama
