Jaringan Prihatin was originally launched in May with the aim to financially aid B40-categorised individuals to easily acquire smartphones or broadband internet plans. A total of RM3.5 billion has been allocated by the Malaysian government for the programme, which is also an initiative under Budget 2021 and enhanced under the Strategic Programme to Empower the People and Economy (PEMERKASA) stimulus that launched in March. As mentioned earlier, this is actually Jaringan Prihatin’s second extension since launch. The programme was initially planned to end on 31 July 2021, but was then extended to 31 August. “This is to ensure that no citizen is left behind in the digitalisation wave towards the digital economy,” said MCMC in its announcement on Twitter.
Inisiatif ini adalah bagi memastikan tiada rakyat yang ketinggalan dalam gelombang pendigitalan ke arah ekonomi digital. pic.twitter.com/K4V5pQFtQh — MCMC (@MCMC_RASMI) August 25, 2021 Besides the extension, no other changes were mentioned in the announcement. To recap, those single individuals and those with children aged 18 an above under the B40 group are eligible to receive a subsidy of RM180 via Jaringan Prihatin for registering a new broadband plan or for purchasing a new smartphone. On the other hand, individuals with children aged below 18 are entitled to receive a subsidy of RM300. Telcos that are participating in the programme include Celcom, Digi, Maxis, Mcalls, redONE, speakOUT, Tune Talk, U Mobile, unfi, XOX Mobile, YES, and Yoodo. Naturally, each company offers different exclusive benefits under Jaringan Prihatin, so we highly encourage you to reach out to each provider for further information prior to registration. (Source: MCMC [Twitter] via Bernama)
