KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 27): Some 60,000 uniformed officials bought 1.3 million litres of RON95 petrol for RM2.6 million on the first day of Putrajaya’s phased roll-out of Budi Madani RON95 (Budi95), Malaysia’s targeted fuel subsidy programme.
According to the Ministry of Finance (MOF), nearly 20% of the 300,000 members of the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) and Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) had used the system to purchase RON95 fuel at the subsidised price of RM1.99 per litre as at 9pm on Saturday.
The system remained stable and glitch-free throughout the day, with MyKad verification terminals functioning as intended at petrol stations nationwide, the MOF said in a statement.
The initial launch, limited to ATM and PDRM personnel, is part of a carefully staged implementation strategy to minimise disruptions and identify potential technical bottlenecks before the scheme is extended to the wider public.
From Sunday, the programme will be expanded to more than five million recipients of the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) cash aid in the bottom 40% income group.
Full implementation is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept 30, when just over 16 million Malaysians with valid MyKads and driver’s licences will be able to buy up to 300 litres of RON95 at the subsidised price of RM1.99 per litre, six sen below the current subsidised pump price of RM2.05 per litre.
The phased implementation of Budi95 was to prevent disruptions, experienced previously due to a sudden surge in traffic when the RM100 Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) appreciation aid kicked off on Aug 31 for all Malaysians aged 18 and above, Bernama quoted Treasury secretary general Datuk Johan Mahmood Merican as saying earlier on Saturday.
More than 8.1 million people have already checked their eligibility for Budi95 since the launch of its official portal on Sept 25, the statement read.
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