KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 — The Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (BR1M) monetary aid will be increased to RM1,200 next year from RM 1,000 under the 2017 federal budget, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced today.

In presenting the budget in Parliament today, Najib said that the increase of the government cash aid would be for households earning below RM3,000 per month.

For households earning RM3,000 to RM4,000 monthly, BR1M will be raised from RM800 to RM900.

BR1M will also be raised for single individuals earning RM2,000 and below a month, from RM400 to RM450.

The BR1M allocation will cost the government RM6.8 billion, to be delivered to 7 million households, which is higher than the RM5.4 billion spent for the programme last year.

"BR1M is not animal feed or a bait, but rather, it is a sincere assistance from the government as we always prioritise the rakyat"s needs," Najib said.