SHAH ALAM, Sept 5 — Purchasing basic necessities using the RM100 Penghargaan Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) aid is reportedly easier through the MyKasih app.
It allows users to scan and check items at supermarkets to ensure they fall under the 14 categories of basic necessities approved by the government for redemption under the initiative.
Roslita Saidin, 51, from TTDI Jaya, said that preliminary checks using the app not only help avoid having ineligible items rejected at the counter but also speed up payment transactions.
“My husband has used the MyKasih app before, and he taught me a little. It is not difficult to scan and check whether the items are listed for Sara.
“We need to do a preliminary check of every item we intend to buy. Otherwise, the queue will be long, and our purchase might be rejected. But with MyKasih, everything becomes easier and smoother,” she told Bernama at a supermarket in Section 13.
Roslita added that four out of the five members of her family are eligible to receive the Sara Appreciation Aid, helping to reduce the burden of purchasing basic necessities for a longer period.
Meanwhile, Adilah Mohd Uzir, 28, said the special assistance from the government has greatly eased her family’s burden, especially for basic necessities that were previously purchased at higher prices, depending on the supermarket.
Her family, which includes six Sara Appreciation Aid recipients, chose to use all of the RM600 at once to complete their household’s basic needs.
“It is better and easier to buy everything at once. There is no need to commute repeatedly to the supermarket, and many places are crowded because numerous recipients want to redeem the assistance,” said Adilah, who lives in Section 18.
Mohd Zulfiqal Zainal, 31, also advised aid recipients to plan their shopping times to avoid congestion, especially after office hours.
The salesman said that lunchtime was his preferred time to redeem the aid, as he was confident most people would be having their lunch then.
“I chose lunchtime to avoid congestion. After eating, my wife and I went straight to the supermarket and used the aid credited to our MyKad to purchase basic necessities,” Zulfiqal said.
On Tuesday (September 2), Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching advised the public not to rush when using the Sara aid, stressing that there is no need to queue at the payment counter as recipients have four months to utilise the credit.
The public has until December 31 to spend the one-off RM100 Sara Appreciation Aid, which has been distributed by the Madani Government since August 31.
