Govt will improve implementation method for SARA aid

KUALA LUMPUR: The government will improve the implementation method of the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) and consider expanding it in the future, said Deputy Finance Minister Lim Hui Ying.

She said that based on the feedback obtained from stakeholders and recipients, SARA has provided them with numerous benefits, as it is a targeted assistance programme that ensures the poor and hardcore poor receive the allocated goods.

“It (SARA) is different from subsidies in bulk because SARA can avoid leakage and is only given to eligible recipients,” she said during the question and answer session at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

She said this in reply to a supplementary question from Sim Tze Tzin (PH-Bayan Baru) regarding the government’s move to ensure that all eligible recipients continue to benefit from the SARA aid programme.

Lim advised those living below the national poverty line income to register in the e-Kasih system to ensure they receive government aid and are not le behind.

“At the same time, applications for the Rahmad Cash Aid (STR) are also open throughout the year to allow eligible recipients the chance to be reassessed since SARA eligibility is limited to STR recipients identified as poor or hardcore poor,” she said.

On the distribution method of the SARA aid in the peninsula, Lim said eligible households and senior citizens without spouses will receive RM100 every month, while single individuals will get RM50.

“It is automatically deposited through an account opened using the recipient’s MyKad for purchases at supermarkets or selected retail stores nationwide.

“For Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan, the payment will be transferred in two instalments of RM600 for households and senior citizens without spouses and RM300 for single individuals.

“Payments are scheduled to be disbursed on Feb 19 and Aug 12 directly into the recipient’s bank account or distributed in cash at Bank Simpanan Nasional’s (BSN) branches nationwide,” she said.

Lim added that a total of RM210 million had been channelled to 700,000 SARA recipients nationwide as of Tuesday.