LGE Says 'Undeserved' Households Will Also Get RM300 Cost Of Living Aid In January
Previously, he said the first phase would be paid after Chinese New Year.
By Alyssa J. Oon — 26 Dec 2018, 05:56 PM
The first phase of the Cost of Living Aid (BSH) - which will be replacing Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) - will be paid on 28 January
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng had previously announced that the first phase of the aid will be paid after Chinese New Year, which falls on 5 February, reported Malaysiakini.
Under BSH, only families with a household income of under RM4,000 are eligible for the financial aid.
The breakdown is as follows:
- RM1,000 for income under RM2,000,
- RM700 for income between RM2,001 and RM3,000,
- RM500 for income between RM3,001 and RM4,000.
By fast-tracking BSH payments, the government will need to rely on the old database of recipients which may include unqualified recipients
According to New Straits Times, some 4.1 million households will receive the first phase payment of BSH.
In a statement, Lim said, "The vetting process to take out the names of those who are unqualified since they do not belong to the B40 group will take some time.
The BSH 2019 will benefit some 4.1 million households via the first phase payment worth RM300 each.
"This will involve allocation amounting to RM1.2 billion and the money will be credited into their bank accounts," he added.
Phase 2 and 3 of BSH will be conducted according to the new method announced in Budget 2019 once the database has been updated
"The move to update the database is necessary for phase 2 and 3 to ensure the aid given can be improved and reach the targeted households," Lim added.
He also said that new payment criteria and methods will be announced in the future.
The official BSH website is here.