PUTRAJAYA: Malaysians can begin applying for the e-Tunai Rakyat initiative, which gives qualified individuals RM30 each to spend through one of three e-wallets operators, beginning tomorrow.
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng (pix) said all Malaysians aged 18 and above and who earn less than RM100,000 a year will be eligible for the one-off incentive, with a total of RM450 million being allocated to cater up to 15 millions people, as had been announced in the 2020 Budget.
He explained that the “free shopping money” can be claimed in-app through one of Grab, Boost and Touch ’n Go, which can then be spent on goods and services that were available through the chosen e-wallet platform.
“The e-wallet operators will also provide additional incentives in conjunction with the government-funded RM30. This means eligible Malaysians will receive a total more than RM30 free money,” he told a press conference at the launch announcement of e-Tunai Rakyat, here, today.
Lim said those who have received the RM30 have until March 14 to spend it, with any unspent portion expiring by the end of that day.
“The initiative is designed to widen digital payments adoption among Malaysian consumers and merchants, particularly among small retail businesses.
“Therefore, we strongly encourage merchants, hawkers and retailers to register with one or all three of the e-wallet providers so that they can benefit from the RM450 million e-Tunai Rakyat by March 14,” he said.
He explained that the reason the government was giving up to two months for Malaysians to spend their free RM30 was to allow more time for them to register and make spending, besides allowing more merchants to have themselves registered.
Lim added that the overall implementation of the initiative would be facilitated by Khazanah Nasional Bhd.
Khazanah deputy managing director Tengku Datuk Seri Azmil Zahruddin Raja Abdul Aziz said there would also be a three-pronged check done on all applications, to ensure the eligibility of applicants and that each individuals do not claim the cash from multiple e-wallet operators.
“First, with will liaise with the National Registration Department to check that identification. Second, we will cross check with Inland Revenue Board to ensure they earn below RM100,000 a year.
“And finally we will check that they haven’t applied for the cash from any other platforms before, as they can only apply once with just one e-wallet operator,” he said.
Azmil said applicants would be able to see the money credited into their e-wallet of choice within two to five working days, adding that application would end on March 9, five days before the end of the programme on March 14.
