THE Sabah Rural Development Ministry has been tasked with coordinating the distribution of special aid allowances to the poor in the state under a Covid-19 stimulus package.

Minister Ewon Benedick said the funds from the state government are aimed at reducing the burden of the people of Sabah affected by the outbreak, especially during the movement control order (MCO) which came into force March 18.

“KPLB is responsible for coordinating the distribution of assistance to those listed under e-Kasih, farmers, fishermen and breeders as well as the B40 target group,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Ewon urged those who are eligible for aid to contact the respective regional offices or departments to ensure that their names were included in the list.

He said the ministry would begin making payments directly into the bank accounts of the eligible recipients in the state starting today.

“For those who do not have a bank account, we will ask for cooperation from the district offices to deliver the assistance to recipients in their respective areas,” he said.

Ewon said the state government had allocated RM20 million for the RM500 special allowance to be given as a one-off payment to the heads of 22,456 poor households, and 15,747 hardcore poor households that were registered throughout Sabah.

He asked for the cooperation of all the chairmen of village community management councils to compile the bank information of the beneficiaries listed on the e-Kasih registry to be forwarded to respective district offices to assist with the distribution of the aid.

The state government has also allocated RM80 million to the B40 group in the state for a one-off payment of RM300 to each recipient, he said.

Ewon said about 30,000 Sabahans working on the peninsula would not be left out.

He said the assistance would benefit 13,132 taxi drivers; farmers, fishermen and breeders (169,630 people); porters and mountain guides (339); elderly, orphaned and disabled (62,638); and single mothers (6,500) in Sabah. – Bernama, March 30, 2020.