Phase two of the government’s cash aid programme Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH) will be distributed beginning next Tuesday (May 28).

This comes about a week before Hari Raya Aidilfitri which falls on June 5.

In a statement today, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said the handouts will be directly credited into the bank accounts of eligible recipients.

“For those without a bank account, an account will be automatically opened for them at Bank Simpanan Nasional based on prior agreements and admissions provided by applicants in their BSH 2019 application forms,” he said.

The payout is expected to benefit 3.6 million adult recipients and a further 3.23 million children. It will cost RM1.42 billion in public funds.

Under the BSH 2019 scheme, households earning less than RM2,000 are entitled to RM1,000 while households earning between RM2,001 to RM3,000 will receive RM700.

Households earning between RM3,001 to RM4,000 are entitled to RM500.

For these categories, the government will also contribute RM120 for every child under the age of 18, limited to four children. Children with special needs are eligible for the aid no matter their age.

Next week's payout will not include single low-income individuals, Lim's aide told Malaysiakini. 

Putrajaya previously allocated RM5 billion for the BSH programme in Budget 2019.

In his statement, Lim said his ministry had taken steps to ensure the aid benefited those who were “truly eligible”.

The ministry was working with the Inland Revenue Board (IRB), the National Registration Department, the Accountant-General’s Department, the Employees Provident Fund, the Retirement Fund Inc (KWAP) and the Companies Commission to conduct yearly audits of the list of eligible recipients, he disclosed.

For those found to be ineligible, Lim said they could submit their appeals to the IRB between July 1 to Aug 15.