The ministry said it has concluded discussions with several local banks to provide ATM services in Nenggiri and the response has been positive.

“The activation of these ATM services will be expedited to meet the needs of the residents, and efforts will be expanded to ensure all citizens have access to this basic facility,” it said in a statement.

It said it will continue to engage with local banks to identify further improvements, particularly in expanding access to their services.

On Thursday, FMT reported that for some residents in Nenggiri, an act as simple as withdrawing money from a bank or ATM is an expensive affair.

A two-way trip by taxi about 50km away to the town of Gua Musang or Dabong, where such facilities can be found, costs about RM50.

FMT understands that while there are a handful of sundry shops in the area which are also banking agents, they can only provide up to RM300 per villager.

Earlier today, the Barisan Nasional candidate for the Nenggiri by-election, Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani, expressed his commitment to engage with banks to resolve the issue.

Azmawi will face off against Perikatan Nasional’s Rizwadi Ismail in the Aug 17 by-election.