SPENDING under the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) assistance scheme reached RM4.8bil in the domestic market last year with 99% of recipients using the cashless aid via their identity cards, says Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan. The Finance Minister II said of the RM5bil allocated for monthly Sara assistance under the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) programme, nearly 5.6 million recipients used their MyKad to purchase essential goods at registered premises. “Sara is a cashless aid programme credited directly to recipients’ identity cards and can be used at registered partner outlets to buy items across 14 categories of basic necessities. Direct aid: Amir Hamzah says nearly 5.6 million Malaysians used their MyKad to purchase essential goods under Sara. He said for last year’s one-off Sara assistance, 96% of recipients – about 21 million beneficiaries – recorded transactions in the local market amounting to more than RM2.05bil.

Source: The Star February 06, 2026 12:11 UTC