During the announcement of the PERMAI special assistance package, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin shared some specifics on the final payment of the Bantuan Prihatin Nasional (BPN 2.0) aid, as well as the first instalment of the Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat (BPR) assistance.

With regards to BPN 2.0, the prime minister said that the final payment of this aid will be brought forward to start from 21 January 2021 onwards. It is expected to benefit a total of 11.1 million recipients with a total payment of RM2.38 billion.

For context, the BPN 2.0 aid was introduced under the government’s KITA PRIHATIN package last year, which was aimed at providing further assistance to B40 and M40 Malaysians who are struggling amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Disbursement of the one-off cash aid was to be done in two phases: once in October 2020, and another slated in January 2021.

Tan Sri Muhyiddin also revealed further information on the first instalment of the BPR aid that involves more than 8 million recipients. “Households earning up to RM5,000 per month will receive RM300 each, while for those under single category earning up to RM2,000 per month will receive RM150,” he said. However, the prime minister did not share a specific date as to when these cash aids will be disbursed.

The BPR programme is essentially an enhanced version of the previous Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH) assistance, intended as a means of assisting B40 households. Introduced during the tabling of Budget 2021, it features new conditions and amount of financial assistance compared to its predecessor, and is also more specific and targeted in terms of eligibility.

• TAGS:
• B40
• Bantuan Prihatin Nasional 2.0
• Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat (BPR)
• Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH)
• BPN 2.0
• Budget 2021
• Covid-19
• M40
• Permai
• Permai Stimulus Package
• Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin