The government will be giving out a second round of the Bantuan Prihatin Nasional (BPN) cash aid, dubbed “BPN 2.0”. The cash aid is offered as part of the government’s new KITA PRIHATIN Package announced today.

As stated by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the BPN 2.0 will be given out as follows:

• RM1,000 to 3.7 million B40 households
• RM500 to 3.8 million B40 individuals
• RM600 to almost 1.4 million M40 households
• RM300 to 1.7 million M40 individuals.

The BPN 2.0 payments will be distributed in two stages: the first at the end of October 2020, and the second in January 2021. B40 households will receive RM700 in October and RM300 in January.

According to the Prime Minister, no application is required in order for eligible parties to receive the BPN 2.0. The government will channel the aid directly to the 10.6 million recipients who have been approved under the previous BPN programme. For those who are eligible but never received the initial BPN payment, the government will be accepting appeals and new applications.

Unlike the first round of BPN payouts announced in March, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin did not elaborate on the specific income brackets for the B40 or M40 individuals and households who would qualify for this aid. Given that eligibility for BPN 2.0 is based on that of the first round of BPN payments, it is likely that the qualifying income range also remains the same:

• B40 households: Households earning RM4,000 and below
• M40 households: Households earning between RM4,001 – RM8,000
• B40 individuals: Single individuals 21 years and above earning RM2,000 and below
• M40 individuals: Single individuals 21 years and above earning RM2,001 to RM4,000

“I hope that with the additional aid given, citizens can breathe more easily in bearing the cost of their daily expenses and those of their household too,” said the Prime Minister.

The government has allocated a sum of almost RM7 billion for the additional cash handouts under BPN 2.0. Overall, the new initiatives introduced under KITA PRIHATIN – which also include a second wage subsidy programme – totalled up to an expense of RM10 billion.

• TAGS:
• Bantuan Prihatin National
• BPN
• BPN 2.0
• Cash Handouts
• Covid-19
• Covid-19 Aid
• Economy
• Government Aid
• Government News
• KITA PRIHATIN
• Prime Minister
• Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin