PAYMENTS amounting to RM12.3 billion under the Special Covid-19 Aid (BKC), which consists of Bantuan Prihatin Nasional 2.0 (BPN 2.0), Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat (BPR), and BPR Tambahan, have been distributed to almost 10 million recipients.

Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said the balance of the payments under BPR (Phase 3 and appeals), BKC (Phase 2 dan Phase 3), and Loss of Income Aid (BKP) totalling RM4.8 billion are expected to be disbursed from September to December 2021.

“The Finance Ministry wants to emphasise that the BKC is one of various aid programmes which will be distributed continuously until the end of 2021,” he said in the 67th Economic Stimulus Implementation and Coordination Unit Between National Agencies report.

Overall, an allocation of RM17.1 billion has been provided this year in the implementation of BPN 2.0, BPR, BPR Tambahan, BKC, and BKP.
Under the PenjanaKerjaya programme, which provides incentives for the hiring of workers, the government has distributed RM995.36 million to 33,304 employers, helping to sustain 256,253 jobs.

As of September 3, RM635.74 million has been distributed under PenjanaKerjaya 1.0, benefitting 15,097 employers and 116,316 workers.

A sum of RM354.52 million has been distributed under PenjanaKerjaya 2.0, which helped 16,491 employers and 135,322 workers.

Meanwhile, a total of RM5.10 million has been distributed under PenjanaKerjaya 3.0 as of September 3, benefitting 1,717 employers and 4,631 workers.

Tengku Zafrul said as of August 20, a total of RM18.83 million has been distributed to 761 micro, small and medium enterprises under the Indian Entrepreneur Development Scheme.

As for the DanaJamin Prihatin Guarantee Scheme, guarantees worth RM1.705 billion have been approved for 51 companies as of August 27.

Under the SME Easy Loan Fund, applications worth RM12.38 billion have been approved by local banks as of August 27, benefitting 26,089 SMEs. This amount is inclusive of funds under the Special Relief Facility, the Automation and Digitalisation Facility, the All-Economic Sector Facility, and the Agrofood Facility. 

The minister said as of August 27, a total of 137,659 workers have been employed through the government’s job hiring incentives and training programmes. The manufacturing, wholesale and retail sectors were among the mains sectors involved in the hiring of workers.

Meanwhile, 150,908 participants have been approved to take part in skills and training programmes.  

A total of 322,177 employers and 2.64 million workers have received benefits under the 1st instalment of the wage subsidy programme (PSU), PSU 1.0.

As of August 27, applications for wage subsidies totalling RM12.929 billion have been approved.

A total of RM1.356 billion have been distributed to 77,507 employers as operational costs and payment of salaries to 692,805 workers under PSU 2.0. 

According to Tengku Zafrul, TEKUN, the business recovery scheme for MSMEs with funds worth RM100 million, has achieved its objective by benefitting 14,946 MSMEs.

The RM200 million Bumiputera Relief Financing has also met its target, benefitting 749 SMEs.

Under the government under its national economic recovery plan has allocated RM700 million for the digitalisation of SMEs and mid-level companies. 

As of August 27, RM82.27 million has been distributed to 13,884 businesses in the form of grants and loans for the digitalisation of their subscription services. – Bernama, September 10, 2021.