GEORGE TOWN, April 23 — The Penang government today denied a statement in connection with the state i-Sejahtera contribution that had gone viral since yesterday, which it said was fake.

State Environment and Welfare Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said the viral message on social media applications including WhatsApp and Telegram is also incorrect and could give rise to misunderstandings among the public in regard to the concept of the i-Sejahtera programme.

"The i-Sejahtera programme is not specifically targeted at the B40 group as claimed. As an example, for the Senior Citizens’ Appreciation Programme, all registered voters in Penang who are aged 60 and above are eligible to receive a contribution of RM200 starting in 2022 regardless of B40, M40 or T20 status,” he said in a statement today.

Pee added that, in short, i-Sejahtera was a contribution by the state government in recognition of the people of Penang and was not an aid programme for the B40 only.

Earlier, through the viral message, it was announced that registration was open for the i-Sejahtera contribution of RM200 by the state government for the B40 group. The message included a link. — Bernama