KUALA LUMPUR: The National Recovery Council (MPN) meeting today agreed for the setting up of a special task force to scrutinise issues related to the financing, manpower and other needs of small and medium enterprises (SME).

MPN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the team would involve the Finance Ministry, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), International Trade and Industry Ministry, Human Resource Ministry and other relevant ministries.

"This special task force will present a detailed study and recommendations within a month to the council for consideration," he said after chairing the MPN meeting at Lanai Kijang, BNM here.

He said today's meeting focused on the two groups most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, namely SMEs and the vulnerable.

"In this regard, the council has discussed the form of assistance to SMEs in the recovery phase on issues of liquidity and lack of manpower as well as the distribution of food aid to the vulnerable," he said.

Muhyiddin said the MPN was of the view that a detailed analysis should be done to ensure the affected industries were identified based on the latest statistics to find short-term and long-term solutions.

This takes into account various existing assistance and initiatives related to finance and the provision of manpower to SMEs under various ministries and agencies, he said.

He added that the MPN also agreed that the distribution of food aid to the vulnerable should be done using a whole of nation approach by empowering the role of non-governmental organisations.

-- BERNAMA