KUALA LUMPUR: Bantuan Keluarga Malaysia (BKM) aid will be paid in stages, with phase one payment involving an allocation of almost RM2bil to be credited from March 28.

       About 8.6 million recipients will receive payments of between RM100 and RM300 based on their eligibility.

       The recipients comprise four million households, 1.2 million senior citizens (single or without a spouse) and 3.4 million single individuals, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

       “For households, senior citizens and single individual recipients, the date of payment will be between March 28 and April 8, and it will be credited directly into their bank accounts.

       “For recipients who have no bank accounts (including Sabah and Sarawak), payment will start from March 30 through Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) branches.

       “BSN will issue the standard operating procedure from time to time,” the Prime Minister said in a statement as reported by Bernama.

       BKM is a direct cash aid initiative announced in Budget 2022 to benefit the B40 group.

       Ismail Sabri said the payment was also to ease the financial burden of the people, especially those observing the month of Ramadan.

       “Checks on the BKM approval status can be carried out from March 28 via https://bkm.hasil.gov.my,” he added.

       To ensure that the BKM programme reached the targeted groups, the Prime Minister said a period for appeal would be opened for one month from May 2.

       “The government is always sensitive to the current needs of the people and will continue to be committed to ensuring the well-being of the Malaysian Family, especially the target groups,” he said.