KUALA LUMPUR: Any plans to give direct cash aid to reduce poverty will be announced when Budget 2023 is tabled on Friday (Feb 24), says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
In a Parliamentary written reply, the Prime Minister said the government is committed to ensure that direct cash assistance will continue to be channeled to the target groups to cope with the rising cost of living.
"Each manifesto from the political parties that form the current Federal Government will be further fine-tuned by the Finance Ministry. The government is concerned about the welfare of every strata of society, especially the B40 group," said Anwar.
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He said this in response to a question from Zahari Hasan (PN-Padang Rengas) who asked to state if the government will implement a basic income assistance scheme for households earning less than RM2,208 per month.
Zahari had asked if these households will receive some cash every month as part of an effort to eradicate poverty
In response, Anwar said the government is concerned about the welfare of all Malaysians, especially B40 income-earners.
"In 2022, the government allocated a total of RM8bil for the implementation of direct cash assistance to 8.7 million recipients in a bid to address the cost of living faced by the people after the Covid-19 pandemic," said the Prime Minister.
He added that the government had introduced the Rahmah Cash Contribution this year to ease the burden of the underprivileged, saying that as many as 8.7 million B40 recipients with a monthly income of below RM5,000 received the first phase of payments involving RM1.67bil from Jan 17.
"In addition, apart from Rahmah Cash Contribution, the Social Welfare Department (JKM) also provides a child assistance scheme of up to RM1,000 per month to poor families,” said Anwar.
"The scheme includes those who earn below the poverty line income, which is RM1,169 per month," he added
Anwar is due to table the revised Budget 2023 on Friday in his capacity as Finance Minister after the previous administration under Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob tabled the Budget on Oct 7 last year, involving an allocation of RM372.3bil.
On Dec 20 last year, Anwar approved a “mini budget” of RM107.72bil that was passed to enable civil servant salaries, utilities, scholarships, welfare payments as well as education services and healthcare be paid until the new Budget 2023 is passed.
