A total of nine million Malaysians are set to benefit from the government’s cash assistance programmes this year, with RM15 billion allocated for the implementation of the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) initiatives.
Finance Minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan said the allocation marks a significant increase from RM10 billion in 2024, reflecting the government’s continued efforts to ease cost-of-living pressures among targeted groups.
In Sarawak alone, RM1.3 billion has been earmarked for nearly 900,000 STR and SARA recipients.
To improve accessibility, the Ministry of Finance has established 20 cash redemption locations in Sarawak and 17 in Sabah for STR recipients without bank accounts, particularly benefiting rural communities and senior citizens facing difficulties accessing banking services.
“Thus far, the programme has been implemented at 15 locations in Sarawak, with five more sites scheduled to begin operations next week,” he said.
He added that eligible recipients also receive SARA, a monthly assistance scheme that allows purchases of essential goods at registered SARA merchant outlets.
Sarawak has emerged as one of the top-performing states under the programme, with 99% of recipients using their MyKad to make purchases through the SARA system.
“This proves that the MyKad-based SARA mechanism is simple, secure and effective, especially in rural areas,” he said.
Depending on eligibility categories, recipients receive between RM600 and RM2,400 annually under SARA, with total assistance reaching up to RM2,500 when including the one-off SARA Appreciation payment.
Meanwhile, the number of registered SARA merchant outlets nationwide has surged to 13,491 as of June 16, up sharply from just 700 outlets in 2024.
