PUTRAJAYA: The Finance Ministry has rubbished claims and recent media reports that single parents, the elderly and the disabled are not eligible for Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH) aid.
In a statement released today, the ministry stressed that all three groups are covered by the programme, which the federal government is in the process of updating.
“The government is (currently) focusing on… updating information for the BSH programme and the registration process… to extend financial aid to the targeted groups, especially families.
“(This includes) aid of RM120 for every child under the age 18 – limited to four children per household.
“(However, this aid is available to disabled people) of any age,” the ministry said.
It added that through the Welfare Department, the government has provided an allowance for 140,000 disabled workers, as well as those who are unemployed.
“Those who have registered for the Disabled Workers’ Allowance are also eligible for the RM100 aid,” it said.
Meanwhile, Malaysians above the age of 60 will also be covered by the BSH programme, regardless of their marital status; as would unmarried or widowed adults with dependents.
Earlier this week, the ministry announced that it will hand out RM100 to unmarried adults beginning March, adding that the amount of subsequent payments is being studied and will soon be finalised by Cabinet.
It said that the government will continue to channel aid to those in need in order to ease their financial burdens.
“This is part of (our) responsibility to the people,” it added.