Economic Minister Rafizi Ramli expects total registration to hit 10 million by the end of registration deadline which would not be extended past 31 March 2024.
During a townhall session with communities from Selangor and Kuala Lumpur which has the lowest registration figure, the Minister reiterated that the deadline will not be extended due to timeline and window for subsidy disbursement that the government has set. With over 7 million already having updated their data, the total adult population (18 and above), of Malaysia is estimated at 21 million the 10 million estimated by end March will constitute 50% of households which Rafizi said gives a rough profile at this moment on rolling out the subsidies.
He also said that currently the government could have to bear RM2 billion a month in subsidy payout if the targeted subsidy mechanism is not implemented, and hence the deadline for PADU cannot be moved as the cost to the government is tremendous.
