RM2.38bil BPN 2.0 payments to be expedited

KUALA LUMPUR: The Finance Ministry will expedite the Bantuan Prihatin Nasional Phase 2 (BPN 2.0) payments totalling RM2.38bil to the 11.06 million eligible recipients, who comprise 10.6 million BPN recipients and about 460,000 new recipients.

Its minister, Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, said payments to the B40 and M40 groups would be credited directly into their bank accounts starting Jan 21 and Jan 25, respectively.

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Those without bank accounts would be able to receive payments at Bank Simpanan Nasional branches from Jan 25 onwards subject to the bank’s SOP, he said in a statement.

As for recipients in Sabah and Sarawak who do not have a bank account, payments will be made from early February to April 1 at locations to be announced at the end of this month.

Tengku Zafrul said the 460,000 new recipients were approved during the application/appeal period from Oct 15 to Nov 15 last year.

Approvals can be checked starting Jan 15 at the official BPN portal, https://bpn.hasil.gov.my.

BPN 2.0 is part of the RM10bil Prihatin Supplementary Initiative Package (KITA PRIHATIN) announced by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Sept 23 last year.

Two payout phases have been set for distributing the BPN 2.0 assistance – in October 2020 and this month.

Tengku Zafrul said to-date, RM7.18bil had been paid or allocated to the 11.06 million BPN 2.0 recipients, comprising 5.82 million unmarried individuals and 5.24 million households.

“The government is always committed to ensuring the allocated assistance reaches those who are targeted in order to safeguard the people’s well-being, ” he said. —Bernama