Traders who filed an appeal to receive the government's Bantuan Prihatin Nasional (BPN) got a rude awakening this morning when they were disqualified because either they or their spouse had a business registered with the Companies Commission (CCM).

Instead, they had been told to apply for the Geran Khas Prihatin (GKS), a one-off RM3,000 aid for micro-scale businesses which does not need to be repaid.