The B40 group will receive an additional RM100 or RM50 for single individuals, through the Bantuan Keluarga Malaysia (BKM), following the rise in price of goods.
This assistance was announced by Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob during a Special Press Conference yesterday.
According to him, the Phase 2 BKM payment to be credited next Monday involving an allocation of RM1.11 billion.
“Each BKM recipient will receive up to RM500 according to their respective eligibility.
“This additional cash assistance to be paid together with the BKM Phase 2 payment involves an additional allocation of RM630 million,” he said.
At the same press conference, the Prime Minister also announced the government’s decision to not extend the bottled cooking oil subsidy as the initial objective of the programme was to help those affected by the pandemic.
“During the pandemic, the government introduced a temporary subsidy programme for bottled cooking oil for 1kg, 2kg, 3kg and 5kg in August 2021.
“This was an effort to help Malaysian families who were then impacted by Covid-19”, he said.
The Prime Minister explained that the elements of malpractice among some industry players and commercial parties as well as smuggling activities were among the factors that led to the decision to not continue the subsidy for bottled cooking oil.
However, he clarified that the subsidy for 1 kilogram packets of cooking oil provided since 2007 will be continued, involving 60,000 metric tonnes per month.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs announced that the ceiling price control of chicken, chicken eggs and subsidy for pure cooking oil in bottles will be discontinued beginning July 1.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said that the price of those goods is expected to rise and will be determined by the market.
He said the action was taken to ensure food supply and more stable market pricing in the long run.
Rosli
