By Yasmin Ramlan
SHAH ALAM, Oct 18 — The federal government will increase the allocation for Rahmah Cash Aid (STR) and Rahmah Basic Aid (Sara) from next year.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said RM13 billion has been earmarked for the financial aid, the highest so far, from RM10 billion this year.
“The increase will benefit nine million recipients, or 60 per cent of the country’s adult population,” he said when tabling Budget 2025 at Parliament today.
He announced that from next year, 4.1 million STR recipients in the household category will receive RM100 monthly, compared with 700,000 recipients this year.
“Sara will be credited into recipients’ MyKad from April 2025 for them to buy essential items such as food, drink, medicine, school supplies, and personal hygiene products at over 600 supermarkets and retail stores nationwide,” he said.
Meanwhile, single Sara recipients will receive RM600.
“The additional allocation of RM3 billion expands the minimum household income limit to RM4,600 from RM3,700.
“We acknowledge and have listened to the public’s complaints about living costs, so we are implementing measures and an economic approach to increase allocations and provide the highest maximum rate of cash aid … to address cost of living challenges faced by the people,” he said.
