By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Oct 18: The Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) cash aid for single youths will be increased from RM500 this year to RM600 next year.
Meanwhile, a total of 4.1 million households receiving STR will also benefit from a monthly Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) payment of RM100, a dramatic increase from the 700,000 recipients this year.
The SARA aid will be credited directly to recipients’ MyKAD starting in April 2025 and can be used at over 600 supermarkets and retail stores nationwide for basic necessities such as food, medicine, school supplies and personal hygiene products.
Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced these when tabling the National Budget 2025 broadcast live on TVS today.
“The Federal government has announced a significant boost in financial assistance for 2025, with a total allocation of RM13 billion for the STR and SARA programs, compared to RM10 billion this year.
“This increase is aimed at easing the cost of living for Malaysians and will benefit 9 million recipients, or 60 per cent of the adult population,” he said.
He also mentioned that the additional RM3 billion allocation will raise the maximum aid for households to RM4,600, compared to RM3,700 previously, marking the highest level of cash assistance ever provided by the government to combat the rising cost of living.
To further support vulnerable groups, the government will increase cash aid under the Department of Social Welfare (JKM) from RM2.4 billion to RM2.9 billion in 2025.
This includes raising the monthly welfare aid for senior citizens from RM500 to RM600, and increasing child welfare payments for poor families—children under the age of 6 will receive RM250, while those aged 7 to 18 will receive RM200, with a maximum of RM1,000 per family.
In the Federal Territories, the general welfare aid will rise from RM100 to RM150 per person, with a family maximum of RM500 per month.
Following this, Anwar also urged state governments to enhance their respective welfare programs.
He also announced that the fourth phase of STR payments for 2024, amounting to RM1.7 billion, will be distributed to recipients starting Nov 7. — DayakDaily
