KUALA LUMPUR: The increase in the amount of Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) assistance to RM2,100 compared to RM1,200 last year that was credited to eligible recipients today, is described as ‘Syawal gift’.
At a time when Muslims are still in the mood to celebrate Aidilfitri, a senior citizen recipient from KELANTAN, Rosli Abd Ghani, 64, described the assistance credited on the second day of the festival as a windfall.
“Alhamdulillah, this is the first time I have received SARA assistance and the assistance will help cover my family’s daily expenses, including being used for the Aidilfitri festive season such as buying daily necessities and Raya biscuits,“ he said.
Meanwhile, in TERENGGANU, SARA recipient Zakaria Awang, 49, said the assistance would ease his financial burden as he has spent a lot of money in conjunction with the Aidilfitri celebration.
SARA recipient from MELAKA, Raziah Ismail, 32, considers the assistance she received in the month of Syawal as a stepping stone that greatly relieves her in managing her daily expenses.
“As a housewife with four children in school, the value of RM200 is a big sum to ease the burden of daily expenses such as buying cooking oil and eggs,“ she said.
On average, recipients also described the amount of SARA assistance, which increased by 75 per cent this year compared to 2024, as greatly helping them cover daily expenses as well as their children’s schooling costs.
In PAHANG, Mohd Badrul Rizaman Jusoh, 42, said the SARA initiative has provided great benefits for heads of families like him, especially in covering the schooling expenses of four children aged between 7 and 16.
“The RM100 received will also be used to buy oil and rice because these are the main needs of our family, which is why I spend almost RM100 every month to buy these basic items,” he said.
In PENANG, recipient Mohd Hasbibollah Abdul, 48, said that the SARA assistance he received has somewhat eased the burden when he can buy basic necessities such as rice, cooking oil and flour.
A housewife from PERLIS, Robedah Nayan, 38, is also happy with the increase in assistance to RM200 a month compared to RM100 previously, thus easing the cost of family expenses borne by her husband, a lorry driver.
In SARAWAK, Minjon Pawang, 67, who has been receiving SARA assistance since April last year, said the assistance she received was very meaningful in helping ease the burden of personal expenses since the death of her husband in 2022.
SARA assistance recipient in SABAH Frankey Geoffery, 50, also expressed his appreciation to the MADANI Government, which he said was very concerned about helping the people, especially the needy.
The Ministry of Finance on March 26 announced the expansion of the implementation of SARA to 5.4 million recipients starting April 1, an increase of almost eight times compared to the existing 700,000 recipients.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the Minister of Finance, said the expansion was part of the increase in the allocation for Sumbang Tunai Rahmah (STR) and SARA programmes to RM13 billion this year, the highest amount in the history of government cash assistance to the people.
Under the SARA programme, recipients can purchase selected basic necessities using their MyKad at registered retail outlets, which currently number over 3,500 nationwide, compared to 700 in 2024.
Apart from basic food, SARA credit can also be used to purchase personal hygiene items, medicines and school supplies.
