Lim Guan Eng. – Bernama file photo
KUCHING: The payment of the first phase of the Cost of Living Aid (BSH) 2019 will be made to recipients on Jan 28, next year (Monday) using the old database and method.
According to Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, the government was forced to use the old database which most likely contains names of recipients that are not eligible, to enable payment to be made quickly before February next year.
“The process to remove those who are not eligible because they are not from the B40 group requires a long time to be implemented,” he said in a press statement today.
Out of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s concerns, the BSH 2019 payment will benefit up to 4.1 million households through the first phase of payment, amounting to RM300 for every household, Lim explained.
“This will involve an allocation of RM1.2 billion. The payment will be deposited directly into their bank account,” he added.
Lim said after the database has been updated, the remaining balance of the BSH 2019 will use the new method to channel payment to the second and third phases as announced in Budget 2019.
“The process to update the database has to be implemented for the second and third phases before paying out the allowance, to allow for a more targeted approach and also depending on the size of the household.
“The payment criteria and new approach will be announced soon.”