PUTRAJAYA, 15 JULY: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin spent some time today inspecting the food basket preparations for the Bakul Prihatin Negara program, which entails the distribution of 420,000 staple food baskets to 1.68 million people affected by Covid-19. The program is supervised by the Yayasan Kebajikan Negara (YKN) under the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry and is based on the notion of “whole of society” collaboration between the public and commercial sectors (KPWKM).
The prime minister told reporters after visiting the program’s collecting and distribution center at Dewan Perdana Nur at the KPWKM here today that the food baskets were prepared with RM5 million from the Prime Minister’s Department and RM16 million from the private sector.
“We cannot make any compromises when it comes to people’s well-being. As long as the Covid-19 situation persists and the economy does not recover, I will be concerned and feel obligated to safeguard the safety and well-being of all citizens of the country, regardless of their origin or location. We’ll do everything we can to assist them “he stated
KPWKM Minister Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun was also present.
Muhyiddin himself proposed the Bakul Prihatin Negara program as a proactive approach to assist mitigate the effects of Covid-19 on the public.
The Prihatin Negara Squad volunteers, who are administered by the Social Welfare Department, were in charge of distributing the food baskets.
Rice, salt, and sugar, flour, vermicelli, soy sauce, canned sardines, cookies, and coffee are all included in each basket, which costs RM50.
Since the first phase of the food basket assistance program was begun in March last year, Muhyiddin said the government had provided 2.315 million food baskets with an allocation of RM173.4 million, benefiting 9.26 million individuals.
“Most of the target groups, whether they are from the M40, B40, or T20 households, have been affected by the epidemic because they have lost their jobs or are unable to run their businesses, therefore we provide assistance,” he explained.
Malaysians in need of food basket assistance can apply by calling Talian Kasih at 15999, visiting their nearest Social Welfare office, or looking for information on the KPWKM social media platforms.
Muhyiddin also received RM16 million in contributions from five companies during his visit to assure the program’s success.
Yayasan Petronas, represented by Petronas Group president and chief executive officer (CEO) Tengku Muhammad Taufik Tengku Aziz, contributed RM5 million; AEON Big, represented by AEON Group Malaysia CEO Shafie Shamsuddin (RM4 million); Pharmaniaga Bhd, represented by its chairman Datuk Seri Mohammed Shazaili Ramly (RM3 million); Tenaga Nasional Bhd, represented by its chairman Dat (RM2 million).
Muhyiddin also gave two volunteers, Ahmad Azri Ahmad, 35, and Azalina Abdul Rahman, 44, Prihatin Negara Squad vests.
PM Muhyiddin says the government is considering granting leeway to individuals who are fully vaccinated./n
