PARLIAMENT | Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu said the government has agreed to provide RM500 cash aid to armed forces veterans ahead of Hari Raya which will fall in June.
"Even though the government is facing financial constraints, we sought to find ways (to help armed forces veterans). I visited the Finance Ministry several times so that we can give something to the armed forces veterans.
"An allocation of RM79.68 million has been provided for armed forces veterans ahead of the Hari Raya celebration," he told the Dewan Rakyat during his winding-up speech.
Mohamad, better known as Mat Sabu, said the Malaysian Armed Forces Veteran Affairs Department will manage the cash aid and applications will open on April 14. Payment is expected to be made by May 27.
He said the cash aid will benefit 159,368 armed forces veterans, regardless of whether they receive the pension or not.
He said this number is more than around 43,000 armed forces veterans who were granted cash aid under an older scheme by the BN government.
The previous scheme only granted cash aid to armed forces veterans who did not have a pension, but the sum was higher at RM1,200 per person.
"The handout is a sign of the Pakatan Harapan government's appreciation to armed forces veterans for their loyalty and sacrifice to the country," he said. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.