Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has announced a one-off RM100 in handouts for all Malaysian citizens aged 18 and above. This comes as part of the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) program, and in conjunction with the upcoming National Day.
With that in mind, the RM100 cash aid will only be usable between 31 August and 31 December of 2025. It can also only be used for the purchase of essential items via 4,100 stores, including supermarkets across the country. In a statement, the Ministry of Finance says that this applies to over 90,000 items across 14 categories, including including rice, eggs, household cleaning products, medicines and school supplies.
The handout will be distributed though Malaysians’ MyKad under said SARA program. This works on an individual basis, meaning a household of “a husband, wife, and two adult children, will receive RM400”. Anwar says that this will benefit 22 million citizens involving an allocated RM2 billion. This pushes the total amount of money allocated to SARA, which includes Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) up to RM15 billion in 2025.
The prime minister also noted that those who are well-to-do do not need to go out of their way to spend the RM100. Unused funds via this initiative will be redistributed next year to those who have greater need for financial assistance. The prime minster says this will be done in programs to be announced in the future.
(Source: Ministry of Finance / Faceook, RTM / YouTube)
