PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today insisted that the Special COVID-19 Aid (BKC) cash vouchers prepared by the Ministry of Finance must reach the recipients without any delay.

Having witnessed the Phase One payments of the BKC be credited into the accounts of 10 million recipients today, Ismail Sabri also asked the Finance Ministry to ensure smooth running of the BKC payments, especially to recipients residing in rural areas, far from banking access or who do not have a bank account.

According to the Finance Ministry's data, there are 708,223 eligible BKC recipients who do not have a bank account.

"As such, the Prime Minister wants the BKC cash vouchers prepared by the Finance Ministry to reach those recipients without any delay," a statement from the Prime Minister's Office read.

Last Wednesday, Ismail Sabri announced Phase One payments of the BKC will be credited to the recipients' accounts in stages starting today until Sept 10, with a total of RM3.1 billion had been channelled to the relevant banking institution for the purpose.

Those eligible to receive the BKC are the hardcore poor and B40 households or senior citizens living alone and earning below RM5,000 per month or single individuals earning below RM2,500 per month based on the Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat (BPR 2021) recipient criteria.

Meanwhile, the M40 households earning between RM5,001 and RM9,000 or single individuals early between RM2,501 and RM5,000 are also eligible to receive the BKC.

Under the BKC, each eligible household in the hardcore poor category will receive RM1,300; senior citizen living alone (RM500) and single individual (RM500).

In the B40 category, each eligible household will receive RM800, senior citizen living alone (RM200) and single individual (RM200), while those in the M40 category, each household will get RM250, senior citizen living alone (RM100) and single individual (RM100).

Eligible recipients can check their status at https://bkc.hasil.gov.my

Meanwhile, the statement also said that, while witnessing the process, Ismail Sabri also interacted with BKC recipients at several Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) branches in Putrajaya, Sabah, Sarawak, Kelantan, Pahang, Perlis, and Johor.

The Prime Minister also obtained a direct report from Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz who witnessed the process at Putrajaya BSN, and feedback from Deputy Finance Minister Mohd Shahar Abdullah who witnessed the process at Triang BSN in Bera, Pahang.

"The Prime Minister also hoped that the BKC will alleviate the burden of the Malaysian Family affected by the COVID-19 pandemic," the statement added.

-- BERNAMA