Kita Prihatin Worth RM10 Billion Announced by Muhyiddin
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin launched an additional ‘Kita Prihatin’ economic stimulus package worth around RM10 billion, which covers Geran Khas Prihatin (RM600 million), Bantuan Prihatin Nasional (BPN) 2.0 (RM7 billion) and Wage Subsidy Programme 2.0 (RM2.4 billion).
In his televised address, Muhyiddin requested the Ministry of Finance and the Economic Stimulus Implementation & Coordination Unit Between National Agencies (LAKSANA) to ensure that all involved financial assistance and initiatives be channeled to the public in a timely manner.
“We shouldn’t depend on other countries for assistance as they are also struggling to solve their own issues,” he expressed. “We only have ourselves to depend on as a family of Malaysians.
“Hopefully, the Kita Prihatin package will be highly beneficial to everyone,” Muhyiddin added.
The application for Geran Khas Prihatin will reopen during the whole month of October for micro small and medium enterprise (SME) owners who missed out on May.
For the BPN 2.0, individuals under B40 and M40 categories will respectively obtain RM500 and RM300 in cash aid, while households under the same categories will respectively obtain RM1,000 and RM600, in which payment will be made to all in October 2020 and January 2021. No new registration is required for those who had registered for the previous BPN.
The Wage Subsidy Programme 2.0 is to assist companies that are still heavily affected for three months.
The Kita Prihatin package is a continued effort from the federal government in facing the music of COVID-19, after Prihatin, Additional SME Prihatin Packages and Penjana, which in its entirety, was worth RM295 billion.
Rosli Mansor
