BALIK PULAU: About 8.1 million recipients have redeemed the RM100 one-off ‘SaraUntuk Semua’ assistance as of last Friday (Feb 13), with total spending amounting to nearly RM780mil.
Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said the strong response to the initiative reflects the effectiveness of the government’s approach in ensuring that assistance reaches the people directly to help ease cost-of-living pressures.
"We have expanded the categories of items that can be purchased, including frozen food, giving recipients more choices,” he told a press conference here on Sunday (Feb 15) after the Finance Minister II Madani Adopted Village outreach programme at Kampung Pulau Betong here.
Amir Hamzah said any unredeemed Sara Untuk Semua allocations by better-off recipients would be channelled back to those in greater need, including persons with disabilities (PwD) and patients with chronic illnesses.
He added that RM150mil was returned last year for programmes targeting vulnerable groups.
He said over the past three years, the government has implemented fiscal reforms through targeted measures, including the targeting of diesel and petrol subsidies to curb leakages.
He added that the resulting savings were redistributed to the people through increased allocations for Sara and the Rahmah Cash Assistance (STR).
Amir Hamzah said allocations for Sara and STR now total RM15bil, compared with RM6bil under the previous ‘Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia’ (BR1M), ensuring assistance is delivered more fairly and accurately to target groups.
He said efforts to address the cost of living have also been strengthened through programmes under the ‘Rahmah’ initiative, including sales of essential goods at lower prices across all state constituencies nationwide.
The Rahmah sales are held up to three times a month in each constituency, providing wider access for the public to obtain essential items at affordable prices, particularly amid ongoing cost pressures. — Bernama
