KEPALA BATAS: The government’s Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) aid has come at a crucial time for many to help make ends meet.
Checks saw cashiers at authorised merchants serving long queues as recipients rush to use their credits.
Among the beneficiaries was lorry driver Mohd Zaini Yusoff, 60, who was accompanied by his 27-year-old daughter Nur Sabrina Mohd Zaini, who is disabled.
Both were grateful for the amount they had accumulated since the beginning of the year, along with an additional RM50 each under the MyKasih initiative.
“We purchased household items totalling about RM420, but paid RM20 only. The RM400 was deducted from our Sara account via our MyKad, as we have RM200 each in it,” said Mohd Zaini, who earns about RM2,000 a month.
They were among thousands of shoppers who queued up to redeem their Sara and MyKasih credits at Mydin Hypermarket here yesterday.
To ease crowd congestion, the hypermarket prepared dedicated lanes for purchases made under the aid programme.
Office administrator Teoh Wee Ling, 42, brought her 73-year-old mother Ho Ooi Lin yesterday to spend the RM50 monthly credit under MyKasih that Ho received.
“We were surprised with the variety of items we could buy under MyKasih. With rising costs, the aid is helpful,” said Teoh, who bought food supplies.
Housewife P. Summati, 72, who had already used part of her RM50 credit, said she hoped to use the remainder for vegetables, but was disappointed to learn that vegetables were not eligible under the programme.
“I bought about RM30 worth of dried food items earlier for our family of 11 at home. With RM20 balance under MyKasih, I was hoping to buy vegetables but was not allowed, so I’ll spend on other essential items,” she said.
Sunshine Wholesale Mart marketing communication manager Bryan Wong said the company decided to participate as a merchant to support the government’s initiative to ease the cost of living for targeted communities.
“We have a dedicated counter and system provided by the government to give a smooth checkout process for customers under MyKasih. The response has been encouraging,” he said.
Wong added that customers typically purchased items like rice, cooking oil, flour, eggs, canned food, and noodles.
“The programme has contributed positively to Sunshine’s business by increasing footfall.
“Many customers who come in for MyKasih purchases pick up additional items, contributing to overall basket sizes,” he said.
The Finance Ministry announced that the Sara initiative will be expanded to benefit 5.4 million Malaysians starting April 1, a significant increase from the previous 700,000 beneficiaries.
It said eligible recipients will receive up to RM2,100 in aid – a 75% increase from the RM1,200 provided in 2024.
Under the Sara programme, recipients use credits in their MyKad to buy selected essential goods at over 3,500 registered retail stores nationwide, an increase from 700 stores last year.
Apart from basic food items, the credits can be used to buy personal hygiene products, medicine and school supplies.
The expansion, it said, is part of the increased allocation for the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) and Sara programmes, amounting to RM13bil this year – the highest in the nation’s history for cash aid distribution.
About 4.7 million STR recipients who are not listed under the eKasih database will receive new Sara assistance starting April 1, with RM50 monthly for elderly singles and RM100 monthly for households.