The distribution of the ‘Sumbangan Asas Rahmah’ (SARA) aid starting today will see improvements to the targeted aid resulting from the increase in the Budget 2025 allocations for the SARA and ‘Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah’ (STR) assistance to their highest historical level of RM13 billion compared to RM10 billion in 2024.
The SARA aid will be increased to RM2,100 in 2025 compared to RM1,200 in 2024 for eligible households recorded in the eKasih system.
“Recipients will receive RM100 monthly via the recipient’s MyKad from January to March 2025, with the amount increasing to RM200 per month from April 2025 onwards,” the Finance Ministry (MOF) said.
Additionally, the MOF said that 5.4 million STR recipients will also receive additional SARA assistance beginning April 2025.
The ministry said this comprises 700,000 existing SARA recipients and 4.7 million STR recipients who are not recorded in the eKasih database.
“For the household category, the additional SARA aid amounts to RM100 a month. Senior citizens who are single will receive additional SARA aid of RM50 a month,” the ministry added.
During the Budget 2025 announcement in October 2024, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that the increased amount is set to benefit nine million recipients, which is equivalent to 60% of the country’s adult population.
“We acknowledge that and listen to concerns about the (increased) cost of living. Therefore, we took measures, which is the highest increase of allocation and cash assistance ever given by the government to address the people’s cost of living issue,” Anwar announced.
