MORE than half a million micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) have applied for the second round of Prihatin aid, Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said.
He said the ministry had received 512,000 applications but those without the Companies Commission of Malaysia certification or approval from local authorities would not be entertained.
“Companies with more than five staff will not have their applications approved as they do not meet the criteria.”
He was responding to a question from Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka) who wanted to know the number of applications, the criteria for approval and the reasons for unsuccessful applications.
Zafrul said applications received from Oct 1 to 31 will be vetted and cross-checked with the respective local authorities, adding that the applicants may check the status of their applications from Nov 27, and the aid will be paid from Nov 30.
Under the Prihatin Special Grant 2.0, a one-off payment of RM3,000 will be given to MSMEs to help them kick-start their businesses during the Covid-19 crisis.
Deputy Finance Minister I Datuk Abd Rahim Bakri said there were 650,000 applications for the targeted moratorium on loan repayments that was effective from Oct 1.
He said 98% had been approved and of this, 40% was for moratorium extension while 60% was for reduction in monthly instalment payments. These applicants were mainly borrowers whose salaries had been deducted.
“The applications were mainly from individuals who had lost their jobs and businesses in sectors that are still experiencing significant operational constraints as a result of the pandemic,” he said in reply to a question by Datuk Mohd Fasiah Mohd Fakeh (Bersatu-Sabak Bernam).
Mohd Fasiah had asked about the measures taken by banking institutions to continue assisting households and businesses after the expiry of the moratorium on Sept 30, 2020.
