At a press conference in Parliament, Annuar said this is in view of new intakes of students for both public and private universities in August and September.

He also said students from teachers’ training institutions and matriculation colleges were eligible to apply for the devices under the second phase of PerantiSiswa.

For the second phase, students from B40 households, with a monthly income below RM4,850, are eligible to apply online from Aug 1 to Sept 30, he said.

The delivery of the gadgets is expected to take place in October.

In May, Annuar had said distribution of tablets would begin only in July after the government re-tendered the contract for their supply. He had initially hoped to start giving out the tablets in June.

Today, Annuar said he would provide updates on the PerantiSiswa programme in the Dewan Rakyat on Aug 4 and will also answer questions from MPs on the programme.

He said details on the type, brand and specifications of devices, as well as the number of applications, would also be provided.

On a separate matter, Annuar criticised social media users who he claimed had spread “fake news and half-truths” on remarks made by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

Yesterday, Ismail said it was difficult to ban restaurants and hawkers from using subsidised cooking oil sold in 1kg polybags, though these were only meant for household use.

He also said the government risked incurring a public backlash if it sent enforcement officers after hawkers who used the subsidised cooking oil for commercial purposes.

Annuar accused some social media users of creating the misconception that Ismail had said these hawkers had committed an offence, adding that this was totally opposite to what the prime minister meant.

He warned that action could be taken against those spreading this false information which the minister said was “slanderous”.