PUTRAJAYA should improve its food basket programme by adding to its content or increasing the number of recipients as the items in the basket are inadequate, said former prime minister Najib Razak.

In a Facebook post, Najib said Putrajaya is currently not spending as much as it could on the food basket assistance scheme even after saving RM150 million following the donation of vaccines from several countries.

“Before this the government said that it will draw RM5 billion to fund the country’s vaccination programme but we have received 2.5 million vaccine doses donated by the United States (one million doses), Japan (one million) and 500,000 doses from China.”

“If a dose cost us RM60, it means the government has saved up to RM150 million and this can be used to improve the food basket programme,” he said in the post.

Najib said if the government refused to add more recipients or to improve the quantity of items in the basket, Perikatan Nasional could give cash so that the recipients could buy extra dishes (lauk).

“Give cash if you do not want to add on to the contents, either RM50 or RM100, so they can buy a bit of ‘lauk’ (side dishes),” Najib added.

He said that the government had actually spent RM5 million for the food basket programme even though it was announced that the budget to prepare 420,000 food baskets under the Bakul Prihatin programme was RM21 million.

“The RM16 million balance was actually contributed by Yayasan Petronas (RM5 million), AEON Big (RM4 million), Pharmaniaga (RM3 million), Tenaga Nasional Berhad (RM2 million) and Telekom Malaysia (RM2 million),” Najib revealed.

According to The Star, 420,000 aid baskets would be distributed to 1.68 million recipients affected by the pandemic.

The preparation of the baskets is managed by the Skuad Prihatin Negara (SPN) volunteer group, which is under the Social Welfare Department.

Each basket is worth RM50 and contains rice, sugar, flour, noodles, soy sauce, canned sardines, biscuits, coffee and salt.

Anyone needing the food basket assistance can contact Talian Kasih at 15999, WhatsApp at 019-261 5999 or the ministry’s official social media accounts or approach the nearest Welfare Department district office.

On July 16, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said that no one would be left behind in the government’s aid programmes to help people whose livelihoods had been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. – July 24, 2021.