PUTRAJAYA: The popular 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) programme is set to undergo an upgrade, which will focus on improving the standard of living of aid recipients.

Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Dr Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah said the upgrade will include the establishment of training programmes to improve the aid recipients’ earning ability.

“Via this training programme, the recipients will be given exposure to seek better job opportunities and improve their standard of economy,” he said.

He said the government is not only keen to deliver financial aid to the people to help them ease their burden, but also aims to deliver initiatives to boost their standard of living,” he told reporters at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)’s 11th National Economic Conference today.

Irwan said the move is currently in the planning stages, and will be implemented soon.

The BR1M programme, established in 2012, currently features cash aid to low-income households.

Meanwhile, Irwan said the proposed national health insurance programme is now in its final stages of discussion.

“It will be introduced in the 2017 Budget once all discussions and fine-tuning has been completed,” he said.

He said the national health insurance programme will be able to help the lower-income group receive costly and quality medical treatment and medication.

He said people-centred programmes and the rising cost of living will be the highlights of the 2017 Budget, which will be tabled in October.-thestar