KUALA LUMPUR – The government will continue to provide assistance to eligible disaster victims, including Bantuan Wang Ihsan (BWI) of RM1,000 to each household head, as well as RM10,000 to the next of kin of victims killed in the disaster.
Deputy Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions Minister Datuk Wilson Ugak Kumbong said apart from that, the government also provides Basic Necessity Assistance worth RM2,500 to each head of household and Home Repair Assistance with a maximum value of up to RM5,000.
“If the assessment of damage to the house exceeds RM5,000, repair work will be carried out by the Rural and Regional Development Ministry and Local Government Development Ministry using existing allocations in their respective ministries,” he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to a question from Datuk Anyi Ngau (Baram-GPS) about the type and value of aid channelled to victims of natural disasters such as floods and house fires.
Wilson said that for disasters that occur outside the northeast monsoon period, the government will continue to provide BWI to every eligible head of household.
As for those who are forced to evacuate to relief centres, he said, Malaysian heads of household can refer to their respective centres to submit their applications for assistance, and those who do not go to relief centres can submit applications to their respective community leaders.
He said the approval of applications is subject to confirmation by district officers as chairmen of district disaster committees. – Bernama, March 1, 2023
