IPOH – Perak’s Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah today approved a RM14.6 million allocation for a special relief fund to help affected those in the state affected by the enforcement of the movement control order (MCO) 3.0.
Perak Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIPk) president Datuk Seri Mohd Annuar Zaini said His Royal Highness is aware of the MCO’s impact, especially on asnaf (tithe recipients), the poor and those with non-fixed income, and ordered MAIPk to set up the special relief fund.
He said the sultan also understands the heavy task currently faced by frontliners, who require certain medical equipment and medicines to overcome the pandemic, besides also being concerned about the welfare of personnel of the security forces who are also frontliners in the fight against Covid-19.
“Due to this, His Royal Highness ordered MAIPk to provide the special fund and approved RM14.6 million for it. This includes survival emergency assistance totalling RM10.9 million for household heads.
“The relief fund is also for MAIPk’s monthly financial aid to recipients whose incomes are affected due to retrenchment work, inability to run businesses, given leave without pay because employers have to cease operations or for any other reasonable grounds,” he said in a statement today.
Annuar said Sultan Nazrin also agreed for MAIPk to provide sponsorship for medical equipment and medicines urgently needed by the Perak Health Department for frontliners’ use, worth RM606,000.
He said a total of RM400,00 will also be contributed to Covid-19 frontliners, which will be channelled through related agencies.
“The special fund also caters for tablets and internet data packages’ assistance for entrepreneurs from the asnaf group to conduct online businesses and to Form 5 students from hardcore poor and poor households, altogether worth RM1.5 million.
“Besides that, for Perak undergraduates who are studying overseas, such as in Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia and other countries, aid is also provided with an allocation of RM200,000.”
Annuar said the special fund will also hand over aid worth RM400,000 to Muslim orphanages and elderly care centres, as well as fund food supplies to education institutes and donations to temporary homeless centres under the Perak government with an allocation of RM200,000.
A total of RM200,000 is also allocated to the MAIPk Covid-19 Vaccination Programme to bear the cost for groups whose vaccinations need to expedited, he said.
MAIPk is also exempting rent payment and waqf property lease worth RM98,000 and baitulmal properties worth RM50,000 at the agency’s premises and business sites, for June, he added.
“MAIPk is also studying the exemption period depending on whether the MCO 3.0 will be extended or not.” – Bernama, June 10, 2021
