The proposed second round of the 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M) payment has not only been lauded by the people, but has also created hope that the payment would be more than RM500.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (JPM) Ahmad Maslan said the hope was conveyed to him when he went to the ground to meet with the people.

"Most of them are hoping to get more than RM500. Most of them spent the money away when they received it the first time. So, clearly the BR1M payment has also helped boost the country's economy," he said at the seminar on Understanding Wassatiyah and 1Malaysia Concept here today.

However, he said it was up to the Prime Minister Najib Razak to decide the amount for the second BR1M.

As at March 1, the government had allocated RM1.92 billion for BR1M, which had benefited 3.8 million or 59 per cent of the total households in the country.

    

Meanwhile, Ahmad said Terengganu recorded the highest number of participants for the nation-wide seminar with 2,500 people, followed by Selangor (1,800) and six other states.

"The seminar is expected to be completed in early July with the last two states being Sabah and Sarawak.

"Organised by the JPM and state government, the seminar was hoped to have given the participants with better understandings on the concept of Wassatiyah and 1Malaysia," he said.

He said the seminar, which was opened to civil servants, staff of government-linked companies and youth, would be held in Melaka tomorrow before proceeding to Kuala Lumpur.