FAMILIES in the B40 group have welcomed the new RM2,000 handout for families promised to them in Budget 2022, which was tabled today.

They said that the aid was crucial for them to make ends meet, adding that they were in urgent need of cash to help in their daily expenses and to pay bills.

Balvinder Kaur, 57, who lives in Taman Seri Sentosa, Kuala Lumpur, said the handout could help her pay off her debts.

“My husband is a Grab driver, so this can help us to pay off the rental of the car, which is something we struggle the most,” said Balvinder, who has a family of four.

She added that it would also help to fund her son’s schoolbooks and uniforms, as he will start in Form 1 next year.

Hariz Hamdhan, 46, who lives in PPR Pantai Ria, said that the government support would be very helpful because it could help to fund his wife’s medical expenses.

“My wife is pregnant and there are days when I get worried whether I can afford to pay the medical bills.

“With this aid, I can now ease my financial burden for my wife’s hospital bills,” said Hariz, who is a lorry driver.

He hoped the aid would be given soon, instead of next year, because more people were struggling due to the constant lockdowns.

“If we had been given more help earlier this year, we would not have seen so many people lining up at the pawn shops,” he said.

Cleaner Mandy Leong, 49 from PPR Kerinchi, said that the promised support could help her to pay off her borrowings from extended family members earlier this year.

“I was working in the tourism industry and, once I got laid off, I had to borrow money from my extended family members in order to make a living,” said Mandy, who is a single mother of two kids.

She also hoped the government would give the money as soon as possible, because putting food on the table is not a certainty each day.

She added that the RM30 million to provide internet facilities in 40 low-cost flats nationwide could benefit her sons when it comes to studying.

“During the online classes period, my kids were barely able to join as we did not have a proper internet connection.

“They used my personal data hotspot to connect to their tablets but most of the time the internet connection was very slow,” she said.

Earlier today, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz introduced the Bantuan Keluarga Malaysia (BKM) payment of RM2,000 to low-income families, with an additional RM500 to single parents with dependents.

The RM2,000 is for families who have three or more children and earn less than RM2,5000 a month, said Tengku Zafrul when tabling Budget 2022.

“An additional RM500 will be given to single mothers or fathers with dependents.

“This means that a single mother or father with three or more children is eligible for a maximum payment of RM2,500, the highest one-off aid payment a government has provided for households,” he said.

Tengku Zafrul said an additional assistance of RM300 is allocated for senior citizens’ households.

Altogether, 9.6 million recipients qualify for the RM8.2 billion package.

The government will also allocate RM30 million to provide internet facilities in 40 low-cost flats nationwide. – October 29, 2021.