KUCHING: Eligible Sarawakians should register for Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) under the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) so that they don't miss out on the Sarawak Basic Needs Assistance (SKAS) scheme, says Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian.
The Deputy Premier said SKAS recipients were determined based on STR data to ensure good governance.
"Some people did not receive SKAS because they did not register with LHDN.
"But we cannot simply give the assistance to anyone. We want to capture the data properly," he told reporters after a walkabout to monitor the Gawai festive season maximum price scheme here on Friday (May 29).
Dr Sim also said the state government had increased the funding for SKAS this year to ease the impact of the rising prices due to the Middle East conflict.
He said the assistance was expected to benefit about 900,000 recipients.
"As the Premier (Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg) always says, the money should go back to the people," he added.
Under the SKAS revised rates, eligible households will receive RM1,100 from RM950 previously, senior citizens RM600 from RM500 and single individuals RM375 from RM300.
This brings the total allocation for SKAS to RM680mil this year, up from RM543.8mil.
The assistance will be disbursed in three phases, with the first in March, followed by May and November.
