SELANGOR is widening eligibility for its Kita Selangor Vouchers (BKS) programme after applications remained well below its 50,000-recipient quota.
Selangor women empowerment and welfare committee chairman Anfaal Saari said 18,889 applications had been received as of the morning of Aug 7.
She said a large number of online applications had yet to be submitted, possibly because applicants had not completed the supporting documentation.
“There are a number of possibilities as to why applications have been lower than we expected.
“That is why we are opening it up to a larger group and not just single mothers and fathers,” Anfaal said on the sidelines of the Selangor State Assembly sitting at Bangunan Dewan Negeri Selangor, Shah Alam.
Under BKS, successful applicants will receive RM100 a month for six months.
Previously focused on single-parent households, the assistance will also be open to married couples earning RM5,000 or less a month from Aug 8 onwards.
Applicants must be Malaysian citizens, registered voters residing in Selangor and have at least one child below 18.
"Only one person from each household may receive the assistance and applicants cannot be active recipients of the Bantuan Kehidupan Sejahtera Selangor (Bingkas) programme,” said Anfaal.
She said the state was also removing the requirement for applicants to obtain a statutory declaration from a commissioner for oaths to prove their income or Selangor residency.
“This requirement has been relaxed to allow more people to apply,” she said.
Anfaal said documentation requirements might have been a factor affecting the number of completed applications.
“It is not only about the conditions being strict.
“A lot of the documents, we believe, have yet to be completed and that has caused some delay."
She said although the programme had a 50,000-recipient quota, the state initially relied on a smaller pool of pre-registered applicants identified through existing databases.
These included data from existing state programmes and unsuccessful Bingkas applicants after the programme had reached its quota.
Selangor government, Anfaal said, would continue accepting applications as long as places remained available.
“We will keep it open while there are still places within the quota,” she said.
New applications and information updates under the expanded criteria can be made online through the BKS portal (www.baucarkitaselangor.com) from 8am on Aug 8.
