Some 4.1 million households are scheduled to get their Cost of Living Aid (BSH) 2019 on Jan 28 based on the old database and old methods.
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said the government had to use the old database, which might have names of those who were unqualified to receive such aid, to allow payment to be made before February 2019.
“The vetting process to take out the names of those who are unqualified since they do not belong to the B40 group will take some time.
“The BSH 2019 will benefit some 4.1 million households via the first phase payment worth RM300 each. This will involve allocation amounting to RM1.2 billion and the money will be credited into their bank accounts,” said Lim in a statement today.
Once the database had been updated, the minister said the BSH payment under phase 2 and 3 would be done using the new method as what had been announced in the 2019 Budget.
“The move to update the database is necessary for phase 2 and 3to ensure the aid given can be improved and reach the targeted households,” he said, adding that the new payment criteria and methods would be announced in the near future.