PETALING JAYA: The government will replace the Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH) aid with Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat (BPR), which is expected to benefit 8.1 million individuals with an allocation of RM6.5bil.
Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said the BPR comes with higher rates of assistance and income category.
Tengku Zafrul said families with monthly household incomes of less than RM2,500 and have up to one child will receive an assistance of RM1,200.
For households with two or more children, Tengku Zafrul said they will receive assistance of RM1,800.
"Families with monthly household incomes between RM2,501 to RM4,000 and one child will receive BPR assistance of RM800, while households with two or more children will receive an assistance of RM1,200," he said during the tabling of Budget 2021 in parliament on Friday (Nov 6).
Tengku Zafrul said the government will also assist families with monthly household income between RM4,001 to RM5,000, adding that those in this category will receive RM500 for those with up to one child, and an assistance of RM750 for households with two or more children.
He added that single individuals earning RM2,500 and below will receive an assistance of RM350, noting that the age limit eligibility for this group has been lowered to 21 years old, compared to the previous condition of 40 years old.
Tengku Zafrul noted that the previous BSH cash assistance benefitted 4.3 million individuals with an allocation of RM5bil.
Separately, Tengku Zafrul said the government will allocate RM1.5bil to implement the Jaringan Prihatin programme to alleviate the financial burden of the B40 group in accessing internet services.
During the first quarter of 2021, he said an estimated eight million individuals in the B40 category will each be eligible to receive telecommunication credit worth RM180.
"This credit can be used for internet subscriptions, or defray part of the cost of buying new mobile phones. At the same time, telecommunication companies will match by providing benefits valued at RM1.5bil such as free data," he said.
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