KUALA LUMPUR: Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Aziz said the government has no immediate plans to increase allocations in the economic stimulus packages.
Any subsequent addition, he said, is contingent on the country’s economic recovery process.
“For now, we do not have any plans to make any addition to the PRIHATIN and PENJANA packages as our present focus is to protect the people, support businesses and strengthen the economy,” he said at the Dewan Rakyat today in response to a supplementary question from Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan (Pontian-BN).
Earlier, Tengku Zafrul told parliament that the government introduced more than 80 initiatives under the Prihatin Rakyat Economic Stimulus Package (PRIHATIN); PRIHATIN PLUS for small and medium enterprises; and the National Economic Recovery Plan (PENJANA).
The three packages were introduced to revitalise the country’s economy that has been ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic.
As of July 17, the implementation of one-off initiatives under the PRIHATIN Packages is at 91 per cent, said the minister.
He said the initiatives included moratoriums amounting to RM59 billion and one-off cash aid totalling RM11.14 billion to 10.4 million recipients from the B40 and M40 income groups.
RM7.6 million was also paid out in wage subsidies and the employee retention programme, saving 2.75 million jobs, he said.
The initiatives that were implemented under PENJANA include the public transport MY30 Unlimited Travel Pass programme subsidised by the government to the tune of RM20.4 million, with more than 119,800 passes sold as of July 17.
In addition, Tengku Zafrul said, RM300 one-off cash aid totalling RM32.3 million was paid out to 108,000 recipients in vulnerable social groups such as the differently-abled.
“The implementation of PRIHATIN and PENJANA is closely monitored by the Economic Stimulus Implementation and Coordination Unit Between National Agencies (Laksana) under the Finance Ministry.
“This unit prepares a weekly report to the Economic Action Council chaired by the Prime Minister,” he said. – Bernama
