THE Perikatan Nasional (PN) government announced today more cash aid for B40 and M40 groups under the RM10 billion Kita Prihatin package.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said RM7 billion will go to the Bantuan Prihatin Nasional (BPN) 2.0 cash aid programme.

This will benefit 3.7 million B40 households, which will each receive RM1,000, and 3.8 million B40 singles, who will each receive RM500.

As for the M40 group, 1.4 million households will each receive RM600 while singles will each get RM300.

The payments will be made in two instalments, the first at the end of October and the second in January.

Muhyiddin said no applications for the aid were necessary from the 10.6 million recipients of the  previous BPN handouts.

“As for those who are eligible but did not receive the BPN, the government is giving them another chance to appeal and also for allow for new applicants,” he said in a live telecast this afternoon.

The government spent RM11.2 billion on the BPN programme.

Meanwhile, Muhyiddin said the economy was showing signs of recovery following the implementation of the RMCO on May 4.

This is evident from the gross domestic product (GDP) which was shrinking less by the month.

The GDP contracted by 28.6% in April,  5.3% in May and 3.2% in June.

The Kita Prihatin package is in addition to the Prihatin, Prihatin PKS and Penjana packages. Collectively, they cost the government RM295 billion. – September 23, 2020.