BELURAN, March 1 — The Perikatan Nasional (PN) government is able to implement various assistance programmes to help alleviate the people’s burden despite facing the economic challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, said Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee.

He said this showed that the PN government was concerned and have listened to the people’s grievance, especially those affected by the various phases of the movement control order.

"This government is still able to develop assistance programmes for the people including one-off assistance such as BPN (Bantuan Prihatin Nasional) 2.0 for the B40 group.

"In a non-developing economic situation due to Covid-19, the government still provides the BPN assistance by spending billions of ringgit to ease the people’s burden,” he said during an integrated distribution ceremony of the BPN 2.0 assistance to 1,395 eligible recipients in Beluran who do not have a bank account, here, today.

Kiandee, who is also the Beluran Member of Parliament, attended the ceremony via a video conference from Putrajaya.

Commenting on the one-year anniversary of the PN government, Kiandee said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has outlined various measures and actions to flatten the Covid-19 pandemic curve in the country since a year ago, including the BPN programme.

"The government led by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is a government that leads and develop the people and economy during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"It is not as easy as the previous government but we still function as a responsible government,” he said. — Bernama