.JPG "Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu clocks in on his first day as Perak Mentri Besar at the State Secretariat Building in Ipoh March 17, 2020. u00e2u20acu201d Picture courtesy of the Perak Mentri Besaru00e2u20acu2122s Office")
IPOH, March 30 — Two thousand six hundred general workers in Perak among them rubbish collectors, grass cutters and enforcement officers on duty during the Covid-19 outbreak will be receiving RM300 aid each from April 1.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu said the payment would be made three times with an allocation of RM780,000 in recognition of these unsung heroes.
Apart from that, he said a one-off special allowance of RM500 each would be provided to 986 Village Community Management Council chairman with an allocation of RM493,000.
“These are among the initiatives to lighten the economic and social impact following the Covid-19 outbreak in the state,” he said in a Mentri Besar Special Message after chairing the State Security Council Meeting here today.
Ahmad Faizal said a sum of RM1.6 million had also been approved for the distribution of food boxes to more than 26,000 families including 13,000 Orang Asli affected during the movement control order (MCO) which has been extended to April 14.
Apart from that, Ahmad Faizal said the food and essential aid which was earlier provided to State Health Department (JKN) personnel is extended to Armed Forces, People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela), Civil Defence Force, District and Land Office and local authorities (PBT) involving 7,150 personnel costing almost RM2.5 million.
To ease the burden of traders, Ahmad Faizal announced the postponement of rent for Skim Pertapakan Kemudahan Asas (Basic Facility Site Scheme) and public housing plan from three to six months starting this month.
“The rent exemption for Program Perumahan Rakyat (People’s Housing Programme) has also been extended to six months starting from March 2020 for 2,535 recipients with a cost of RM1.5 million,” he said.
The state government will also be giving RM500 as a one-off payment to 12,413 hawkers and petty traders registered with the local authorities (PBT) apart from three months of PBT stall rent exemption which would benefit 9,841 tenants.
All 59 State Legislative Assembly Service Centres which had received an allocation of RM20,000 to assist the affected people in their constituencies, will receive an additional RM20,000 more regardless of the political parties involved.
Meanwhile, he said to assist JKN to break the cycle of Covid-19 outbreak, two quarantine stations have been opened at Sultan Azlan Shah College of Allied Health Science in Tanjung Rambutan and the Malaysian Statistics Training Institute in Sungkai.
According to Ahmad Faizal, RM651,000 has been allocated to purchase various equipment and utensils as well as food at the two stations which could accommodate up to 240 people. — Bernama
