Flood aid payments to be given out from tomorrow, says PM

 

Ismail Sabri Yaakob handing out compassionate aid from the federal and state government to flood victims at the Bera district council convention hall today. (Bernama pic)

BERA: Payment for aid initiatives to ease the burden of flood victims will start tomorrow, says Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said the Prime Minister’s Department’s Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) would channel the money to district and land offices before it is distributed to those involved,

He said the payment was for the purchase of essential goods amounting to RM2,500; vehicle repair discounts; rebate of RM500 for the purchase of electrical goods; and home repair assistance of between RM5,000 and RM15,000 for damage caused by the floods.

“There are three methods of payment, namely to be given directly to the house (of recipients), or at the community hall, or to be credited into the recipient’s account. We leave it to each district to discuss with the ICU on matters of payment.

“I want this payment to be expedited. There are no forms that need to be filled in because the list (of flood victims) is ready. We don’t want to have a complicated bureaucracy. The assistance should be made easy,” he said.

Ismail said this at a press conference after presenting RM1,000 compassionate aid (BWI) from the federal government and RM500 contribution from the Pahang government to 478 flood victims in the Bera district, including 45 victims of the second wave of floods, at the Bera district council convention hall here today.

He said repair work on damaged houses, which involved appointing contractors, had already been implemented by the Public Works Department (PWD) in Pahang, Negeri Sembilan and Melaka.

As for vehicle repair assistance, Ismail said the district and land offices were also asked to list workshops in the affected areas so that flood victims did not have to go far to find vehicle service centres such as Proton, Perodua or others that may not be available in their areas.

On a related development, the prime minister said although the list of flood victims was already in the hands of the aid management, in the event that there were individuals who were left out, they were urged to refer to the district and land office, which was also responsible for investigating if there were any element of fraud in aid applications.

“The district officer can check with the village head, who has the information. There is a list of houses that were flooded or families that moved to relatives’ houses. If (they moved) to the temporary evacuation centre (PPS) then we already have a list of flood victims.

“In villages, there are also village development and security committees and they can also submit the names to district officers.

“Hopefully, they and the village heads will help the government identify those affected by this disaster so that they will receive assistance,” he said. - FMT