Zafrul denies single people won't get Bantuan Keluarga Malaysia cash aid

 

BUDGET 2022 | Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz has denied that single people will not be eligible for the direct cash aid programme Bantuan Keluarga Malaysia (BKM) under Budget 2022.

"Many are asking on social media, is the BKM not available for singles?

"It is. The budget speech is actually just part of the various assistance provided for #KeluargaMalaysia.

"If we want to list them all, the night may not end," he said on Facebook.

"But in Budget 2022, there is help for all levels of society," he added, sharing a summary of the BKM programme.

It detailed that single senior citizens earning less than RM5,000 are eligible for a transfer of RM600, while singles earning less than RM2,500 will get RM350.

Yesterday, when tabling the budget in the Dewan Rakyat, Tengku Zafrul introduced BKM.

Under this initiative, a household with three children or more and earning less than RM2,500 a month will get a RM2,000 one-off cash aid.

This is an increase compared to the RM1,800 one-off cash aid given to the same group under the Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat (BPR) before this, he added.

The government will also give another RM500 to single parents earning up to RM5,000 a month, meaning single parents with three children or more, qualify for a maximum of RM2,500 cash aid from BKM.

"A total of RM8.2 billion has been allocated for this initiative and an estimated 9.6 million recipients will benefit from it," he said.

The minister added yesterday that the eligibility requirement for the aid channelled by the Welfare Department will now be based on the 2019 food poverty line that is set at RM1,169.

“These efforts to broaden the social welfare coverage is in line with the government’s commitment to ensure help reaches those who really need it, as well as taking into account the rising cost of living,” Tengku Zafrul said. - Mkini