KUALA LUMPUR (June 22): The government will provide additional Bantuan Keluarga Malaysia (BKM) cash assistance to the bottom 40% (B40), with an additional RM100 set aside for households and RM50 for singles after taking into account the cost of living challenges and the recent increase in food prices, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said in a special announcement on Wednesday (June 22).
“I already announced on June 1 that [additional] cash assistance would be provided to Malaysian families affected by the cost of living challenge when the government would no longer subsidize the price of chicken, eggs and other food items,” Ismail Sabri said.
He said the announcement meant there would be an additional RM630 million of cash assistance on top of the second phase of BKM payments. The payment will benefit nearly 8.6 million beneficiaries, including four million households, 1.2 million senior citizens and 3.4 million single people.
"Eligible beneficiaries will receive phased payments starting June 27, totaling RM1.74 billion.
"This payment is also to ease the financial burden of the B40 group, especially in view of the upcoming Hari Raya Aidiladha festival. The government is always aware of the current needs, especially in view of the rise in prices of essential commodities, and will continue to work for the welfare of Malaysian families, especially the target group," Ismail Sabri added.
Under BKM Phase 1, each eligible B40 household received RM400 in cash assistance while single individuals received RM200.