The BUDI95 programme has provided subsidised fuel to over 14.6 million Malaysians, with the government now exploring similar targeted schemes for cooking oil.

KUALA LUMPUR: More than 14.6 million Malaysians have received subsidised RON95 petrol under the BUDI MADANI RON95 (BUDI95) programme as of February 11.

Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan revealed the figure in the Dewan Rakyat, stating the system processes an average of 3.1 million transactions daily without disruption.

He said the programme allows the public to purchase RON95 at RM1.99 per litre directly at the pump with no new registration required. “The use of MyKad as an eligibility verification mechanism for targeted subsidies has proven effective and practical,” he told the house during Ministers’ Question Time.

Amir Hamzah was responding to a supplementary question from Jimmy Puah Wee Tse (PH-Tebrau) on successful fiscal reforms. The minister added that identity-based verification for citizens helps reduce subsidy leakage to non-citizens.

He confirmed the government is studying the use of MyKad for the Cooking Oil Price Stabilisation Scheme (COSS) through the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living. A further study is also underway to expand the MyKad-based ecosystem.

This includes potential integration with the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) system to strengthen identity verification for monitoring subsidised cooking oil sales.

 The Sun Malaysia