Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has disclosed that eligible Malaysians will receive RM100 in Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) aid on two occasions next year. This announcement comes as part of the tabling of Budget 2027 in the Dewan Rakyat today. According to Anwar, who also serves as the Finance Minister, the government will be allocating RM16 billion for the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) and SARA financial assistance programmes in 2027, marking an increase from the RM15 billion for this year.
Overall, these two forms of assistance should benefit up to nine million STR recipients and 13 million Malaysians, including those in the M40 income group. The Prime Minister went on to disclose that STR recipients will receive up to RM150 a month, or RM1,800 annually. Meanwhile, Malaysians aged 18 years and above who are not enrolled in the programme will receive the RM100 SARA aid instead.
As mentioned earlier, the government will distribute the aid twice next year. Citizens can expect the first payment to be made before Hari Raya Aidilfitri, while the second will arrive in conjunction with Malaysia’s 70th National Day celebration. That said, Anwar did not mention any specific dates for these occasions.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister revealed that the government has agreed to expand the use of SARA to include fresh produce and other perishable food items at markets under the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA). This covers 216 farmers’ markets and tamu markets nationwide, so aid recipients will be able to purchase the products at these locations.
Aside from that, Anwar declared that the government will allocate more than RM80 billion for subsidies, assistance, as well as incentives next year. Apparently, this will include roughly RM40 billion for fuel subsidies. Additionally, around RM3.3 billion will be funneled towards assistance provided through the Social Welfare Department.
(Source: RTM via YouTube)
