By Siti Rohaizah Zainal
SHAH ALAM, Nov 16 — Meru state assemblyman Mariam Abdul Rashid has proposed the state government expand the Bantuan Kehidupan Sejahtera Selangor (Bingkas) initiative to benefit more citizens.
“The state administration has taken an inclusive approach previously by improving the programme, including increasing the monthly financial assistance from RM200 in 2021 to RM300 in 2022, benefitting 30,000 families.
“I thank the Menteri Besar (Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari) for continuing the initiative next year. However, I suggest the beneficiaries be expanded to other individuals who have never received the aid before,” she said.
Mariam was speaking during the debate on the 2024 Selangor Budget in the State Legislative Assembly sitting today.
The Pakatan Harapan lawmaker also proposed the state government set a quota for disabled household heads with dependents, as well as parents with special-needs children, to apply for Bingkas.
"I also suggest implementing an empowerment programme in the last six months of each year of the Bingkas initiative to ensure aid recipients can sustain their families after the end of the assistance period,” she said.
On Friday (November 10), when tabling the state budget, Amirudin announced that Bingkas will continue next year with a RM108 million allocation.
He said this is necessary to enhance the financial resilience of families affected by current economic challenges.
Bingkas offers RM300 in monthly assistance, or RM3,600 annually, to eligible families via the Wavpay e-wallet app.
It was introduced during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic to assist those who were financially affected.
