REMBAU: A total of 200 families and 200 pupils here will receive monthly financial aid under the TN50 MyKasih Foundation - 'Kasih Tanpa Sempadan'.
Through the MyKasih 'Love My Neighbourhood' programme, families earning less than RM1,500 will receive RM40, which will be deposited into the recipients' MyKad, twice a month.
The aid will allow them to buy necessities such as rice, bread, biscuits, flour, drinks, cooking oil, eggs, noodles and variety of canned food at two selected convenience stores here.
Meanwhile, under the MyKasih 'Love My School' programme, a total of 200 pupils from families earning less than RM1,500 will receive a special MyKasih card containing RM60, which will be deposited every month.
The recipients include 50 pupils each from Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Kampung Tanjung, SK Titian Bitangor, SK Taman Seri Rembau and SK Kayu Ara.
The special card can be used to buy school books, stationaries, and food from the school's canteen.
Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said, the initiative is one of the TN50 ideas to help the lower income groups and ensure that rural communities are not left behind in the use, benefits and application of technology.
"Under the programme, the recipients will receive the financial aid for a year, with a total allocation of RM336,000. This is a unique approach, as it incorporates technologies in delivering the aid.
"The use of MyKad will also ensure that only Malaysians will receive the financial aid where it is delivered directly to the eligible recipients.
"The recipients' MyKad will be registered into the MyKasih system using proprietary technology and a special account will be opened where the monthly aid is deposited," said Khairy in his speech during the launch of the programme here today.
Also present were MyKasih managing director Jeffrey Perera and MyKasih Foundation trustee Datuk Yaacob Amin.
A total of 246,000 families and 16,000 pupils nationwide had benefited from MyKasih which was introduced 2009.
Meanwhile, Perera said, to date, the foundation had collaborated with 50 corporate companies to implement various programmes under the foundation.