About 400 Chinese residents of Sungai Air Tawar here were elated when they received the 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M) 2.0 today, with the Chinese New Year celebration just around the corner.

The presentation ceremony was held at the Sungai Air Tawar state assemblyman's office in Bagan Nakhoda Omar here.

Tan Leng Sei, 62, a retiree, said he and other lower income residents looked forward to BR1M 2.0 as it was helpful to their needs.

"The extra cash will be used for the New Year celebration for the family and grandchildren," he said when met here today.

Also receiving the BR1M 2.0 were about 300 residents from the Indian community.

Meanwhile, state assemblyman Datuk Raja Ideris Raja Ahmad said the 3,612 recipients were selected for the first phase of BR1M 2.0 distribution in the area.

"We chose to distribute to the Chinese community first as the Chinese New Year is just a week away," he said, adding that the balance of 2,516 recipients would receive the BR1M 2.0 on Feb 16 and 17.

Almost 4,000 people would receive the BR1M 2.0 in the second phase before the end of the month, he added.