Some 14,000 out of 82,000 Orang Asli eligible for government aid do not have bank accounts that would enable them to accept cash assistance through the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR).
Therefore, Finance Minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan said his ministry will begin fund dispersal in remote areas to help those unable to access the much-needed aid, Utusan reported.
The government will expand the STR programme to cover the Orang Asli community in the interior of Peninsular Malaysia following its success in remote areas of Sabah and Sarawak, he added.
According to Amir, based on the STR database, 82,000 Orang Asli are eligible to receive assistance with an allocation of RM82.4 million.
"However, as many as 14,000 of them do not have bank accounts and have to attend BSN branches nationwide to get the STR cash payments.
"Taking into account the constraints and obstacles for the Orang Asli community living far in the interior of Peninsular Malaysia, the Finance Ministry starting this year pioneered the payment of STR in remote locations," he was quoted as saying by the Malay daily.
The disbursement concept for the Orang Asli community in the interior involves the opening of counters by the Inland Revenue Board and Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) to help them check, open accounts and issue STR aid directly.
"This programme in the Batang Padang district is a pioneer and will be followed up in other locations of the Orang Asli community such as Lipis and Rompin in Pahang, Gua Musang in Kelantan and Hulu Perak," he said while visiting the Orang Asli community in Batang Padang, Tapah, Perak today. - Mkini
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