About RM3 billion distributed today

According to sources, the aid would involve about RM3 billion.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is scheduled to launch the national-level BR1M 2014 distribution at the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Aminuddin Baki hall in Kuala Lumpur.

The BR1M distribution to households earning RM3,000 and less a month has been raised from RM500 to RM650 while for unmarried individuals aged 21 years and above who earn not more than RM2,000 a month, the aid has been increased from RM250 to RM300.

For the first time, BR1M has also been expanded to households earning RM3,000 to RM4,000 a month, with the aid amounting to RM450.

The sources said the aid could be given to the people as a result of the measures taken by the government to improve the economy.

In 2012, more than four million people benefited from BR1M, with the aid totalling more than RM2 billion, while in 2013, almost seven million people received almost RM3 billion.

According to the sources, the measures taken by the government to further spur the economy have been proven effective based on several economic indicators for 2013, such as more than RM1 billion in private investments and Foreign Direct Investment FDI at RM38.7 billion, the highest in five years.

Other indicators included Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 4.7 per cent in 2013 and a low inflation rate of 2.1 per cent.

They said the fiscal deficit also went down from 6.7 per cent in 2009 to 3.9 per cent in 2013 while the rate this year was targeted at 4 per cent.

For 2014, the government has allocated about RM40 billion for various subsidies including more than RM20 billion for basic items such as petrol, LPG gas, cooking oil, diesel, flour and rice while school aid totalled more than RM10 billion.

The sources said the indicators show that the country's economy was on the right track and the economic transformation measures were having impact.