The Program Jaringan Prihatin programme which offers RM180 subsidy for the purchase of new phones or telco credit has been revised under the new PEMERKASA plan. According to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, Jaringan Prihatin has been revised to offer a higher RM300 subsidy for the purchase of new smartphones and it will be offered to households with school-going children.
The phone subsidy programme has been allocated a budget of RM2 billion, which is RM500 million more than the initial RM1.5 billion that was announced during Budget 2021. This also means that the program will benefit 6.66 million people which is lower than the initial 8 million people target.
The Prime Minister has also urged telcos to offer affordable data plans with additional data quota. The Jaringan Prihatin program was supposed to begin this month in March 2021, but it is now scheduled to start in May.
