EMPLOYEES Provident Fund (EPF) contributors will be able to withdraw up to RM5,000 under the newly announced i-Citra scheme, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said today. 

In announcing the Pemulih economic aid package, he said the scheme will benefit some 12.6 million contributors. 

Contributors will be allowed to withdraw up to RM5,000, which will be credited in a fixed monthly payment of RM1,000, subject to the balance available in the contributor’s savings.

Muhyiddin said i-Citra is expected to channel RM30 billion to the people to cover their daily needs.

Members can start applying for the scheme on EPF’s portal, icitra.kwsp.gov.my, from July 15.

Muhyiddin said the first payment is expected to be credited on August 15. 

The government had previously rolled out the i-Lestari and the i-Sinar schemes.

The i-Lestari withdrawal facility allowed members aged 55 and below to withdraw between RM50 and RM500 a month from their EPF Account 2 for 12 months until March 31, 2021.

The i-Sinar scheme, on the other hand, allowed members to withdraw up to 10% of their Account 1 savings. 

Muhyiddin also announced that RM3.8 billion would be allocated for the fourth round of the Wage Subsidy Programme (WSP). He said this is set to benefit 2.5 million workers.

He said the government would subsidise up to 500 workers with RM600 a month for two months for all sectors in the second phase of the National Recovery Plan. 

The list will be narrowed down to only those who are in the negative list in the third phase of the recovery plan. Those eligible will qualify for the WSP for another two months. 

Putrajaya has spent RM15 billion so far on the WSP, benefitting 2.7 million workers. 

On another note, Muhyiddin said the government has channelled some RM200 billion in aid, which has benefited some 20 million people and 2.4 million businesses. 

This is out of the RM380 billion allocated through seven economic stimulus packages since March last year. 

He added that there was still RM100 billion remaining from the mammoth RM322.5 billion Budget 2021. The funds will be utilised for the remainder of the year. – June 28, 2021.