KUALA LUMPUR – Households receiving the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) cash aid will receive an annual amount of RM4,600 next year, compared to RM3,700 this year.
Noting that the increase for the aid initiatives is the biggest the nation has seen thus far, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (Tambun-PH) told the Dewan Rakyat that the upped funding will benefit nine million recipients, or 60% of adult Malaysians.
As part of the increased allocation, a total of 4.1 million STR recipients under the household category will receive an RM100 monthly Sara assistance next year, compared to 700,000 recipients this year, he said when tabling the Budget 2025 in the lower House.
The updated Sara assistance will be credited into recipients’ MyKad beginning April next year, with recipients under the singles category to receive an STR aid of RM600.
The allocation for the Social Welfare Department has also been increased to RM2.9 billion from its previous RM2.4 billion funding, with the additional funds covering higher rates for various financial aids, including for senior citizens (from RM500 to RM600).
Children from impoverished families aged six and below will receive RM250 from RM 200 while those aged between seven and 18 will be allocated RM200 per person instead of RM150.
For the Federal Territories, the general assistance rate had been upped by RM50 to RM150 with a monthly maximum rate of RM500 per family.
Overall, poor households with three children are eligible to receive more than RM13,000 yearly, a substantial increase from the current RM11,000, while impoverished senior citizens are set to receive more than RM10,000 a year instead of RM8,000.
Anwar also said the fourth phase of the 2024 STR aid will be channelled to recipients beginning this November 7, with the assistance involving RM1.7 billion. – October 18, 2024