PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the RM700 mil in allocations for the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) programme this year was to improve Sara as a targeted subsidy aid to those who are most affected by rising costs of living.The Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) programme this year is expected to benefit over 700,000 recipients with a five-fold increase in allocations compared to 210,000 recipients with an expenditure of RM130 mil last year.“The Malaysian economy’s transformation begins with lifting our most vulnerable up. The improvements to the Sara programme are the first step in bridging inequality and building an inclusive society as envisioned in the Ekonomi Madani framework,” he said in a statement yesterday (Jan 19).Improvements to the programme that will be implemented in stages as of Jan 22, include expanding qualified recipients to the poor and hardcore poor compared to the hardcore poor only last year, increasing aid to households to RM1,200 from RM600 in 2023, while aid to single individuals remains at RM600.“Following the encouraging response to the Sara programme last year, the government has also expanded the network of participating retailers (supermarkets/sundry shops) to 515 (as at January 17) from 424 (in 2023) across the country,” Bernama quoted him as saying.
Main photo credit: The Malaysian Reserve
