SOME 45,000 of the 2.9 million Cost of Living Aid (Cola) recipients who are eligible for the Petrol Subsidy Programme (PSP) do not have bank accounts, through which the fuel aid will be channelled.

Given this, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the ministry will hold discussions with local banks to help these people open accounts.

“The ministry will hold talks with local banks to see whether they can assist with opening ‘zero balance’ accounts… (the Cola recipients) only need a bank account number… it would be good if we can get the banks’ cooperation,” he told the Ruang Bicara programme on Bernama News Channel last night.

He said banks’ cooperation will facilitate the disbursement of PSP aid, which will be credited into recipients’ accounts every four months.

The first payment, for the January-April period, will be made next April.

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, when tabling Budget 2020 in Parliament on October 11, said PSP will begin next year.

It will cover the peninsula and be based on two categories. The first category is for Cola recipients, or those in the B40 group. Car owners will get a subsidy of RM30 a month, while those with motorcycles will get RM12 a month.

Under the second category, eligible M40 folk will get Kad95, which entitles them to a subsidy of 30 sen per litre with a 100l limit per month for car owners and a 40l limit for those with motorcycles.

On former minister Salleh Said Keruak’s application to join PKR, Saifuddin Nasution said the party’s political bureau is still discussing the matter. – Bernama, October 22, 2019.