KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 5 — The SARA For All programme, which provides a one-off RM100 aid credited through MyKad to Malaysians aged 18 and above, will be disbursed starting Monday (Feb 9).
Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said eligibility checks can be made from today on the portal.
He said RM2.2 billion has been set aside to benefit Malaysians.
“No application is necessary. It will be credited automatically into recipients’ respective MyKad, and is valid for use until December 31, 2026,” he said during Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Amir Hamzah was replying to a question from Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa (Harapan-Sekijang) on the total allocation for SARA through the MyKasih system spent in 2025, and the actual transaction value generated in the local market.
The programme is a part of the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) initiative under Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR), which aims to help the people face the rising cost of living through targeted cashless aid.
Meanwhile, Amir Hamzah said the government is studying a proposal to include “wet” food as a new category under the SARA programme to ensure the aspects of quality, food safety and guarantees to consumers before any decision is made.
He said that as of Tuesday, the total number of SARA merchant partners increased to 10,700 outlets nationwide, compared with only 700 in 2024, adding that of the total, 3,000 are small traders.
“We have heard the address by the prime minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim), who emphasised that we will expand the SARA network and the target this year is for the number of small grocery shops to be increased to 10,000 outlets,” he said.
As such, Amir Hamzah said, this will result in the distance from the nearest sundry shop to a recipient being reduced from 10 kilometres (km) to seven km.
He was replying to a supplementary question from Dr Zaliha, who asked if the government would consider improving the terms and approval period for SARA merchant partner applications, as well as including wet goods in the product category under the programme.
