LIPIS, April 9 — The Pahang government today announced an allocation of RM29.91 million for Bantuan Prihatin Pahang (BPP) 2022 that will benefit 297,013 recipients from four clusters.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said the aid would be distributed within four months starting this month, involving cash assistance of RM100 to RM300, Aidilfitri boxes and top-up cards worth RM100 each.

The four clusters are students and young people; B40 group including homeless people, fishermen, taxi drivers and single mothers; general cluster involving settlers, daily hawkers, Orang Asli, tour boat operators and tour guides; and appreciation cluster comprising the armed forces and police veterans.

"We are able to implement BPP 2022 because of the state government’s strong financial situation and as I often said, every revenue earned will be returned to the people for the common good.

"In fact, if the RM1 billion revenue target is achieved this year, it is not impossible that the state government will continue providing the BPP and other assistance to the people of Pahang,” he told reporters after presenting the BPP and Ihya’ Ramadan contribution at Laman Sejahtera Jelai here today.

Also present were state secretary Datuk Seri Dr Sallehuddin Ishak, Cameron Highlands MP Datuk Ramli Mohd Noor and state Rural Development and Orang Asli Affairs Committee chairman Datuk Abd Aziz Mat Kiram.

Those who are eligible to get the RM300 cash assistance are social media influencers, bloggers and YouTubers while among those who will receive RM200 are armed forces and police veterans, fishermen, daily hawkers, taxi drivers and Pahang natives at universities. The RM100 cash aid will be channelled to tahfiz students, homeless people in Jalan Wong Ah Jang, Kuantan and Year One pupils.

A total of 25,871 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM) students will receive RM100 in the form of top-up cards while the Aidilfitri boxes worth RM50 will be distributed through Tok Batin, Village Development and Security Committee (JPKK) and Settlement Security and Development Committee (JKKR).

For the record, the Pahang government spent RM75.03 million last year to help the people affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, with RM31.3 million distributed through the BPP package which was implemented through four phases on a targeted basis.

Meanwhile, when asked about special Aidilfitri assistance for civil servants in the state, Wan Rosdy said the matter was under consideration. — Bernama