PUTRAJAYA, June 22 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today announced an additional RM100 in cash assistance for households and also RM50 for single individuals who are recipients under the Bantuan Keluarga Malaysia (BKM) programme.
Ismail Sabri said the government came to the decision after taking into account the challenges faced as a result of the rising cost of living and an increase in food prices of late.
“The additional payment to be added into the BKM Phase 2 payment involves an additional (allocation) of RM630 million,” he said in a special media conference here today.
Under BKM Phase 1, each eligible B40 household received RM400 in cash assistance while single individuals received RM200.
The prime minister said the BKM payment would benefit almost 8.6 million recipients comprising 4 million households, 1.2 million senior citizens (single) and 3.4 million single individuals.
“Each eligible recipient will receive payments in stages beginning June 27, involving a total allocation of RM1.74 billion,” he said.
Ismail Sabri said the additional payment will help B40 recipients alleviate their financial burden, especially with Hari Raya Aidiladha around the corner.
Payment status can be checked from June 27 via the link https://bkm.hasil.gov.my, he added.
“The government is always concerned about current needs, especially when it comes to price increase of necessities, and will continue to be committed to ensuring the well-being of Keluarga Malaysia (the Malaysian Family),” he said.
The prime minister said so far, 8.6 million BKM applications have been approved with recipient households receiving up to RM2,500 this year.
He said the amount of assistance given was the highest so far by a Malaysian ruling government.
— Bernama
