How time does fly – Budi Madani RON 95 (Budi95) has completed its first month and the finance ministry has released some interesting stats in a November 1 press release. From the September 30 start up to October 31, 13.1 million out of 16.55 eligible Malaysians (79%) have bought 1.33 billion litres of RON 95 petrol at the subsidised RM1.99 a litre (RM2.66 billion total), including over 23,000 registered fishermen and boat users without active driving licences, especially in Sabah and Sarawak. The Malaysian government has spent RM800 million in subsidies. “Budi95 ensures that the people receive subsidies directly without a complicated process, as well as enabling the government to re-channel savings to the development and welfare of the people. Clearly, this programme provides multiple benefits to the people and the country,” said second finance minister Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan. Screenshot Screenshot Since October 13, the government has doubled the monthly RON 95 quota for full-time e-hailing drivers to 600 litres, benefitting nearly 58,000 of them. On average, Budi95 recipients under the private category recorded a monthly consumption of 98.2 liters in October – three times lower than the 300-litre ceiling – and as of October 26, less than 0.7% of all Budi95 recipients had used up their monthly quota (0.6% of private users and 0.3% of registered boat users without a driving licence). According to the finance ministry, the government will continue making improvements, including reviewing the additional e-hailing quota to be more equitable and comprehensive. Some unusual usage patterns have been noticed, including recipients exhausting their monthly quota in a short time and repeatedly buying petrol at stations near national borders. “The government will not compromise on any fraudulent activities or resale of subsidised petrol to unqualified parties. Strict action under the Supply Control Act 1961 will be taken against those involved,” the press release said, adding that the finance ministry and the domestic trade and cost of living ministry (KPDN) will ramp up monitoring at petrol stations as well as among consumers to prevent Budi95 misuse. Compare prices between different insurer providers to save the most on your car insurance renewal compared to other competing services. Many payment method supported and you can pay with instalment using Grab PayLater or Shopee SPayLater.